ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors acknowledged to a judge on Tuesday that they erred when they mistakenly referenced criminal charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in an unrelated case, but they insisted the need for secrecy in the case still remains.

A federal judge heard arguments on a request by a free-press group to unseal criminal charges against Assange. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press argued that the inadvertent disclosure by prosecutors about charges against Assange obliterates the usual need for secrecy.