Former staffer denies Julian Assange was a horror guest at Ecuadorian embassy

A former diplomatic staffer has rejected claims Julian Assange was a horror guest during his seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy.

Julian Assange was a respectful guest when at the Ecuadorian embassy in London but was “broken” by their government, a former diplomatic staffer has claimed.

Fidel Narvaez last night rejected claims the Queensland-born WikiLeaks co-founder, 47, had been a horror guest during his seven years at the embassy.

“Julian had a respectful relationship with staff, diplomats and administrative staff,” he told Britain’s Sky News.

A protester wearing a Julian Assange mask in Ecuador last week. Picture: AP

“I don’t recall a single incident when he disrespected someone until I left in July 2018.

“He was 100 per cent respectful. Clean and tidy? What is clean and tidy? Did he put the dishes in the dishwasher? Probably not at weekends. Is that a crime?”

There had been claims that Assange had poor hygiene, assaulted guards and had cost almost the Ecuadorian government almost $6 million in security bills.

But Mr Narvaez, who worked at the embassy between 2010 and 2018, said: “The last year was hell for Julian in that embassy. The strategy was very clear — break him down.

“The government didn’t know how to end the asylum and face the catastrophic historical shame for doing that.”

Julian Assange in 2018. Picture: Twitter

Assange’s Victorian-based father John Shipton last night told News Corp that his son was a target for authorities.

“Everything, all the negative things you read about are essentially made up. It’s an ongoing campaign against Julian so they can treat him in any way they wish. It’s just tragic.

“Julian a monster? hardly, he published just like the New York Times did, the way your newspapers did. People who realised the information may have had their motivations.”

The defence of Assange in the UK comes as he faced further criticism in the United States.

The Robert Mueller report, released this week into whether there was Russian interference in the 2016 United States Presidential election, was critical of Assange.

Spain’s Miranda Paz holds a sign while speaking to members of the media outside Belmarsh Prison about Julian Assange. Picture: Getty

The report claimed he had falsely implied that a murdered Democratic staffer Seth Rich, 27, had leaked to him.

Russian hackers supplied the emails to Wikileaks, the report said.

Townsville-born Assange spent seven years at the embassy in London to avoid charges in Britain and extradition to the United States.

He also sought asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden on a rape allegation that he always denied and has since been dropped.

Assange fooling around on a skateboard inside the Ecuadorean Embassy. Picture: El Pais

The Americans wanted to press charges against him over the leak of tens of thousands of classified government documents.

But two weeks ago, the Ecuadorian government allowed London’s Metropolitan Police to take Assange from the embassy and he was charged with breaching bail.

He remains in Belmarsh Prison in south East London, and the United States has applied to extradite him to face charges over his damaging government leaks.

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Originally published as Former staffer denies Julian Assange was a horror guest at Ecuadorian embassy