Nine former Labor attorneys-general are calling on the prime minister to intensify his efforts and lobby the United States to end its pursuit of Julian Assange.

In a letter sent to Albanese last week, [nine] former attorneys-general contrasted the treatment of Australian journalists who have been lauded for their work exposing alleged war crimes by Australian Defence Force personnel to Assange, who exposed wrongdoing by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“... the United States is applying extra-territorial reach by charging Assange, who is not a US citizen and did not commit alleged crimes in the US, under its Espionage Act.

“We believe that this sets a very dangerous precedent and has the potential to put at risk anyone, anywhere in the world, who publishes information that the US unilaterally deems to be classified for security reasons.