Biden, Zelensky critic Gonzalo Lira dies in Ukrainian prison
3 Min Read
The US Department of State has confirmed the death of Gonzalo Lira, refusing to provide further comments on the mysterious circumstances surrounding the event.
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A screengrab shows late journalist Gonzalo Lira holding up a peace sign in a video he uploaded on his YouTube channel on October 17, 2022. (YouTube/@theroundtablegonzalolira5818)
Chilean-American journalist, Gonzalo Lira, has died in a Ukrainian prison after he was "tortured" and denied medical treatment.
Lira was known for his criticism of Ukraine and Joe Biden's administration. His position on the conflict in Ukraine, in which he voiced out critical opinions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, led to his rearrest in May 2023, just after he was briefly arrested in 2022.
"We can confirm the death of a US citizen in Ukraine. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," a representative of the US State Department the Russian TASS news agency. The Department of State refused to provide further comments on the incident, saying it has done so out of "respect to the family during this difficult time."
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested Lira for his pro-Russia stance before he was tortured and killed, according to journalist Tucker Carlson. His trial was scheduled for December 21, 2023, but was reportedly rescheduled for another time, due to a lung infection.
Gonzalo Lira, Sr. says his son has died at 55 in a Ukrainian prison, where he was being held for the crime of criticizing the Zelensky and Biden governments. Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, but the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture. Several… https://t.co/F0nOG9qGvv
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 12, 2024
Read more: Journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva listed on Ukraine SBU wanted list
US Embassy did nothing to help
His father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., slammed both the Ukrainian and American governments for murdering his son.
"I cannot accept the way my son has died. He was tortured, extorted, and incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US Embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibility of this tragedy is the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American President, Joe Biden," Gonzalo Lira Sr. said.
In a letter that Lira wrote from prison and sent to his sister, he explained that he has a severe case of pneumonia, "as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema."
He said that he fell ill in mid-October, but his medical case "was ignored by the prison."
Furthermore, Lira reveals that Ukrainian authorities "only admitted" he had pneumonia at the December hearing. The late blogger said that he would have a surgical procedure soon to relieve the pressure built on his lungs, which caused him extreme shortness of breath, "to the point of passing out after minimal activity, or even just talking for 2 minutes."
It is worth noting that prominent American figures such as Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson have recently lobbied for Lira's release, a few days before he was announced dead.
Read more: Kiev tightens censorship as frontline losses mount: The Intercept
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