An Australian politician has spoken of his hope that a delegation to the United States to call for the release of Julian Assange will lead to charges against the WikiLeaks founder being dropped.

More than 60 Australian federal politicians will travel to Washington next week to meet with members of the US Congress, civil society and the media.

Senator David Shoebridge told the PA news agency there was now an urgent need to drop the case and allow Assange to leave Belmarsh prison in London, where he has been held since 2019 as he fights extradition to the US on espionage charges.

The core crime he faces is the crime of being a journalist

Assange fears he will spend the rest of his life in prison if he is extradited.

Sen Shoebridge said next week’s delegation was unique as it was cross party, with huge support from the Australian public to end the “persecution” of Assange.

“The core crime he faces is the crime of being a journalist,” Sen Shoebridge said. “The reason we are going is that Julian Assange is facing an unprecedented situation.

“He is an Australian citizen who has committed no crime but is being extradited to the United States for activities that would never be considered a crime in Australia.”

We are at a critical point. In a matter of weeks Julian Assange could be put on a plane, in shackles, and sent to the US

“We are hopeful that the partisan world of Washington politics, such a broad cross party visiting group will have some political cut through.

“We are at a critical point. In a matter of weeks Julian Assange could be put on a plane, in shackles, and sent to the US.”

More than 60 Australian politicians have signed a letter saying they stood in support of the trip to the US and were “resolutely of the view that the prosecution and incarceration of the Australian citizen Julian Assange must end”.

They said the matter had “dragged on for over a decade” and it was “wrong for Mr Assange to be further persecuted and denied his liberty when one considers the duration and circumstances of the detention he has already suffered”.