After weeks of medical neglect at the hands of Ukrainian authorities, Gonzalo Lira, a prominent commentator on the Russia-Ukraine conflict who was imprisoned in Ukraine for speech critical of the country’s government, has now passed away.
Gonzalo Lira, a Chilean-American war commentator who had been detained for eight months on January 11, 2024, on account of allegations that he justified Russian military endeavors in Ukraine, passed away shortly before noon at a hospital in Kharkiv.
Lira rose to prominence in 2022 when, in an increasingly autocratic Ukraine, he surfaced as a critical voice.
His apprehension in May 2023 mobilized domestic opposition to U.S. funding for the conflict and prompted American political commentator Tucker Carlson and tech magnate Elon Musk to call for his release.
The Biden state department refused to aide Lira in any way during his detention by Ukrainian authorities.
This may have been due to his refusal to support the narrative promoted by the Biden administration and the Ukrainian government about the war.
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