The U.S. Donald Trump administration on the 15th (local time) urged the release of anti-China journalist Jimmy Lai, 78, who was convicted in Hong Kong of violating the National Security Act.
According to the U.S. State Department website, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that day, "The guilty verdict in the National Security Act case against Mr. Lai reflects that Beijing's (the Chinese government's) law is being enforced to silence those who seek to defend freedom of expression and other fundamental rights."
He added that these fundamental rights are "those that China promised to respect in the 1984 'Sino-British Joint Declaration,'" and said, "Mr. Lai is not the only person being punished for defending such rights."
Rubio also said, "According to reports, Mr. Lai has been imprisoned for more than 1,800 days and his health has seriously deteriorated," and added, "We urge the authorities to end this painful situation as soon as possible and to release Mr. Lai on humanitarian grounds."
President Trump also took related questions from reporters at the White House that day and said, "I spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about this issue and asked him to consider releasing him."
Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong's leading anti-China outlet Apple Daily, was arrested in Aug. 2020, immediately after the National Security Act took effect, and was put on trial that December. At the sentencing hearing for Jimmy Lai on the 15th, the Hong Kong High Court found him guilty on all three charges, including collusion with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials, and said it would announce the sentencing date as soon as possible, with some expecting a maximum life sentence.