Govt says opposes death penalty: Assange

A bid to extradite Julian Assange from the UK to the US is between those two countries but Australia opposes the death penalty, the government says.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor of WikiLeaks, right, and barrister Jennifer Robinson speak to the media outside Westminster magistrates court. Source: AAP

The Australian government says it's committed to the principle of not exposing its citizens to the death penalty as the US moves in on Julian Assange.

Australian consular officials will visit the WikiLeaks founder in a London jail on Friday after he was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy and promptly convicted of skipping bail.

Supporters fear Assange could face the death penalty if the US succeeds in an extradition bid, but Foreign Minister Marise Payne says Australia remains "completely opposed" to capital punishment.