A court document that was filed by mistake in the US appears to confirm that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been charged in secret.
The Australian’s name twice appeared in a Virginia court filing in a case involving a man accused of coercing a minor for sex.
The document said the charges “"would need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested... and can therefore no longer evade or avoid arrest and extradition."
It added that "due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged."
Wikileaks has claimed the error was the result of a "cut and paste" mistake.
Resources US government v @WikiLeaks:
1) Timeline: https://t.co/LswVTHOMjB
2) Overview: https://t.co/Mb6gXlz7QS, https://t.co/s8RhCHjSaL
3) Lawyers: @AssangeDefence, @suigenerisjen, @AssangeLegal pic.twitter.com/1bJOtaSFRJ— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 16, 2018
The US Justice Department confirmed the filing was made in error.
The ongoing investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 presidential campaign has suggested that WikiLeaks was used by Russian intelligence to distribute hacked material.
Mr Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack said, "The news that criminal charges have apparently been filed against Mr Assange is even more troubling than the haphazard manner in which that information has been revealed.
"The government bringing criminal charges against someone for publishing truthful information is a dangerous path for a democracy to take."
Julian Assange's cat Michi, 14-11-2018. Image: Yui Mok/PA Archive/PA Images
Mr Assange has been living at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for more than six years after being granted asylum when he tried to avoid extradition to Sweden.
The investigation has been dropped, however Mr Assange fears he could be extradited to the US if he emerges – where he would face charges for WikiLeaks' publishing of huge amounts of classified information.
Although his time at the embassy began well, Mr Assange his relations with the country’s Government have since deteriorated- and he recently accused it of violating his "fundamental rights and freedoms."
It came after the Embassy restricted his internet access and handed him a new set of house rules - including taking better care of his cat Michi and refraining from activity “considered as political or interfering with the internal affairs of other states.”
