A motley group of Australian federal politicians representing various political affiliations has travelled to Washington, D.C., to collectively urge the U.S. government to cease its persistent efforts to prosecute Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

The six Australian politicians, including former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, Labor MP Tony Zappia, "teal" Independent Monique Ryan, Liberal Senator Alex Antic, as well as two senators from the Greens party, Peter Whish-Wilson and David Shoebridge, have flown to the capital of the United States.

They have convened in Washington to advocate for the abandonment of extradition proceedings against Mr. Assange.

They will meet with Democrat Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday to voice the concerns of the coalition of 64 federal politicians pushing for Mr. Assange's release.

"Nine out of 10 Australians ... believe Julian should come home. There are many, many, many of us who agree with that and we're here in Washington, D.C., to get that message conveyed to the American government," Senator Antic told the press in Washington.

Mr. Assange's supporters argue that he is being persecuted for his work as a journalist and that the charges against him are an attack on press freedom.

They also argue that the U.S. government is seeking to extradite Mr. Assange in order to silence him and prevent him from publishing further classified information.