Julian Assange has been told he must pay for his internet and feed his cat properly after a judge ruled new rules imposed by the Ecuadorian embassy do not violate his asylum rights.
The Wikileaks founder had said the new guidelines were designed to push him into leaving the building in London where has has been holed up since 2012.
Assange argued the new measures made it more difficult to receive visitors and requiring him to pay for services like laundry and medical bills are meant to coerce him into ending his asylum.
The Australian takes up a third of the space in the building and officials have complained that his football playing and skateboarding have damaged the interior.
Denying his request, Ecuadorian Judge Karina Martinez said authorities have the right to decide what is allowed and the new rules would stand.
Embassy officials praised the ruling in the latest row between the Australian hacker and the government that has provided him refuge for six years, Press Association reports.
Relations between Assange and Ecuador have grown increasingly prickly as the years have dragged on with no solution in sight.
Assange’s lawyer Carlos Poveda vowed to appeal against the decision: “The Ecuadorian state has an international responsibility to protect Mr Assange.”
The rules also make clear that if Assange does not properly feed and take care of his cat, the animal could be sent to a cats’ home.
Ecuador’s government contended the requirements are aimed at peaceful cohabitation in tight quarters in the small embassy.
“It’s clear this protocol was issued with strict respect for international law,” Jose Valencia, Ecuador’s foreign minister, said after the ruling.
Ecuador granted Assange asylum in the embassy in 2012 as he tried to avoid extradition to Sweden.
Sweden’s top prosecutor later dropped a long-running inquiry into a rape allegation against him, saying there was no way to detain or charge him because of his protected status in the embassy.
He remains wanted in Britain for jumping bail, and he also fears a possible US extradition based on his leaking of classified State Department documents.
Assange initially enjoyed a cosy relationship with then Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa but relations with his host nation have steadily deteriorated. Current President Lenin Moreno has warned him not to meddle in matters that can jeopardise Ecuador’s foreign relations.