A US federal district court judge has denied a request to unseal criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that were accidentally revealed.
Judge Lioni Brinkema said in a 10-page ruling that free media advocates, who are calling for the allegations to be revealed, have no evidence that Assange has actually been charged.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sought to unseal the charges after a federal prosecutor inadvertently typed out "the fact that Assange was convicted" in another, unrelated case.
The government has admitted it made a mistake, but has not publicly confirmed that charges have been brought against Assange.
The AP explains that criminal charges are usually kept secret until a suspect is arrested to prevent him from fleeing prosecution or destroying evidence.
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