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Marco Rubio labels Jimmy Lai’s sentence ‘unjust’ and calls for parole

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai's sentence "unjust and tragic" and urged authorities to grant him "humanitarian parole."
Lai, 78, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday after being found guilty in December of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles.
His co-defendants, who pleaded guilty to the collusion-related charge, received prison terms ranging from six years and three months to 10 years.
Lai, a pro-democracy campaigner and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, has always denied all wrongdoing. Hong Kong leader John Lee claimed Lai used Apple Daily to “poison” residents and incite hatred.
The British government has vowed to “rapidly engage further" with Chinese authorities over Lai’s sentence, the heaviest penalty ever handed out under the city's national security law.