Australia has asked the Swedish government to ensure that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange receives a fair trial if he is ordered to go before a Swedish court to face rape allegations, according to a document obtained by AFP Friday.

"I wish to convey the Australian government's expectation that, should Mr. Assange be brought into Swedish jurisdiction, his case would proceed in accordance with due process and the provisions prescribed under Swedish law," Australian ambassador to Sweden Paul Stephens wrote in a letter to Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask.

In the letter dated February 10, Stephens said Australia also expected a Swedish trial of Assange to respect "applicable European and international laws, including relevant human rights norms".

Assange, a 39-year-old Australian former hacker, is currently free on bail in Britain amid an ongoing extradition hearing to determine if he can be sent to Sweden to be interrogated and possibly put on trial over allegations from two Swedish women of rape and sexual molestation.

He strongly denies the claims, insisting the extradition attempt is politically motivated and stems from WikiLeaks' release of thousands of classified US cables.

Assange says his real fear is that Sweden would deliver him on to the United States, where some politicians have called for him to face the death penalty for leaking state secrets.

Lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder have condemned the Swedish justice system during the extradition hearing, attacking the practice of holding rape trials behind closed doors, and have claimed Sweden has excessively strict sexual assault laws.

This criticism prompted Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt to defend his country, telling reporters in Stockholm last week that it was "unfortunate that women's rights and standpoint is taken so lightly" in the defence presented by Assange's lawyers.