Rubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai

The U.S. urged China to reverse what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called an "unjust and tragic" sentence against Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, after Beijing-backed courts handed the 78-year-old a 20-year prison term under the national security law. 

"The conviction shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong," Rubio said in a statement. "The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr.