Chilean-American novelist and journalist Gonzalo Lira has reportedly passed away in Ukrainian custody, as reported by his father. The sad news was brought to the attention of many via a tweet from American journalist Tucker Carlson.
“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,” wrote Tucker Carlson on X. “Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, but the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture.”
Lira was apprehended by Ukrainian authorities in May on the grounds that he “publicly justified” the Russian invasion, as stated in a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) press release.
As reported at the time by ZeroHedge contributor Space Worm, the statement from Kiev stated that Lira “has the citizenship of one of the countries of Latin America” but omitted the fact that he was born in California and is also a U.S. citizen.
Following his release, Lira said he was tortured in a Ukrainian prison, explaining that “two thugs held my head and used a toothpick to scratch the whites of my left eye, while asking me if I could still read if I had just one.” Lira informed followers that he was making a mad-dash via motorcycle towards the Hungarian border.
As reported by journalist Alex Rubernstein, the Ukrainian penitentiary where Lira was detained disregarded his claim that he suffered from double pneumonia affecting both lungs.
“I have had double pneumonia (both lungs) as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema (swelling of the body). All this started in mid-October, but was ignored by the prison. They only admitted I had pneumonia at a Dec. 22 hearing,” reads the letter. “I am about to have a procedure to reduce the edema pressure in my lungs, which is causing me extreme shortness of breath, to the point of passing out after minimal activity, or even just talking for 2 minutes.”
In response to Lira’s reported death, his father allegedly wrote:
“I cannot accept the way my son has died. He was tortured, extorted, 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.”
Ryan DeLarme is an American journalist navigating a labyrinth of political corruption, overreaching corporate influence, a burgeoning censorship-industrial complex, compromised media, and the planned destruction of our constitutional republic. He writes for Badlands Media and is also a Host and Founder at Vigilant News. Additionally, his writing has been featured in American Thinker, the Post-Liberal, Winter Watch, Underground Newswire, and Stillness in the Storm. He’s also writes for alt-media streaming platforms Dauntless Dialogue and Rise.tv. Ryan enjoys gardening, kung fu, creative writing and fighting to SAVE AMERICA
