Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded Chinese Communist Party release Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was sentenced to four years in prison this week for her reporting on the ground in Wuhan amid the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020.

The top U.S. diplomat joined a chorus of other officials condemning the Chinese government for silencing Zhang, as the federal government, Congress, and journalists worldwide have presented a host of evidence showing the Chinese government sought to cover up the COVID-19 outbreak and worked to lie about its origin — accusations China denies.