Gonzalo Lira, a journalist and citizen of both Chile and the United States, has reportedly passed away while in detention at a Ukrainian prison.
The news was conveyed by American journalist Tucker Carlson, who cited Lira’s father as the source.
“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,” Carlson shared on the X social media platform.
Despite Lira’s American citizenship, Carlson claims the US administration “clearly supported his imprisonment and torture.”
Lira’s critics labeled him of being a pro-Russian blogger, and he was accused by the Zelensky regime of justifying Russian aggression.
The case gained international attention when renowned entrepreneur Elon Musk directed a question to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, seeking an explanation for Lira’s arrest and incarceration.
Musk’s inquiry followed Carlson’s post asserting that Lira had been “tortured in a Ukrainian prison since July, for the crime of criticizing Zelensky.”
Lira’s detention dates back to May when he was abducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kharkov. The journalist faced accusations of supporting Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
The SBU contends that Lira was arrested, granted bail, but subsequently violated the law, attempting to flee the country on his motorcycle through a border checkpoint with Hungary.
As of the latest information, Lira was awaiting trial at a pre-trial detention facility in Kharkov.
Several verified X users with substantial followings paid tribute to Lira, acknowledging his efforts to expose corruption within the Biden and Zelensky regimes.
Kanekoa, a self-styled investigative journalist with over 660,000 X followers, highlighted Lira’s work in revealing connections between Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, Hunter Biden’s Burisma, and the funding of the Azov Battalion.
A user responding to Tucker Carlson’s post shared an ominous message allegedly from Lira, predicting his own demise.
The message urged readers to Google certain names if no communication was received for over 12 hours and ended with a chilling request to add the individual’s name to a list.
Prominent figures on the X platform expressed their dismay over Lira’s reported death.
Verified user Paul Szypula accused President Joe Biden of abandoning American citizens to perish in Ukrainian prisons, labeling it as treason that should be prosecuted.
Another user, Angelo Giuliano, lamented Lira’s demise and accused the Zelensky regime of harassment, arrest, and torture for exposing the truth about the US proxy war.
In a tweet, US government critic King Dotcom announced Lira’s death in Ukrainian custody, alleging that he was placed on a kill list by the Ukrainian government.
Verified X user TaraBull also posted: “Despite efforts from Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk raising concerns to Zelensky, Gonzalo’s father announced today that his son has died in a Ukrainian prison. He was killed for questioning the war in Ukraine, for questioning the narrative. This could easily be any one of us.”
The Daily Netizen 