Portraits of journalist Gao Yu are left by protesters demonstration calling for the release of Gao, outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong. (Reuters)
The United States Friday urged China to free Chinese journalist Gao Yu and said her jailing was "part of a disturbing pattern" of actions against those who question Beijing's policies.
"We call on the Chinese authorities to release Ms Gao immediately and respect China's international human rights commitments," a State Department official told AFP.
Washington was very concerned that Gao, 71, had been sentenced to seven years in jail, "after a closed trial, on charges of leaking state secrets to a foreign news outlet," the official said.
"The conviction of veteran reporter Gao Yu is part of a disturbing pattern of government action against public interest lawyers, Internet activists, journalists, religious leaders and others who peacefully question official Chinese policies and actions," he added.
Gao Yu -- named one of the International Press Institute's 50 "world press heroes" in 2000 -- "illegally provided state secrets to foreigners," Beijing's No. 3 Intermediate People's Court said Friday, on a verified social media account.