Gonzalo Lira Jr., a U.S. citizen and political commentator, died in Ukrainian captivity last week after being charged with spreading pro-Russian propaganda while commenting about the ongoing Ukraine–Russia war.
“We can confirm the death of U.S. citizen Gonzalo Lira in Ukraine,” the U.S. State Department confirmed in an emailed statement to NTD News on Monday morning.
Mr. Lira, 55, operated multiple YouTube channels where he posted videos commenting on the progress of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and speaking critically of the Ukrainian government. A dual citizen of the United States and Chile, Mr. Lira had been living in Ukraine prior to the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian authorities began investigating Mr. Lira in March 2022, days after the start of the invasion. Ukrainian authorities arrested Mr. Lira in May of 2023 under a law that punishes speech that justifies, glorifies, or denies the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Lira’s Ukrainian Captivity
While jailed ahead of trial, Mr. Lira alleged his fellow inmates did the “dirty work” for the prison guards by repeatedly beating him. Ukrainian authorities denied those claims.
Mr. Lira eventually managed to post bail in July, and took to social media and YouTube thereafter to announce that he intended to flee Ukraine across the country’s southwestern border with Hungary and seek asylum. At the time, Mr. Lira explained that he felt there were few chances he could flee east, through the active combat zone, to find safety in Russia. He said he also believed that most countries bordering Ukraine to the west would simply return him if asked by the Ukrainian authorities, but he predicted he might have a chance of finding asylum in Hungary.
“I’m hoping that the authorities in Hungary will look at my indictment, realize that it has nothing to do with me being an actual bonafide criminal in terms of harming people or property and it’s really a strictly free speech issue, an issue of democratic speech,” Mr. Lira said in a July 31 YouTube post. “And I’m hoping that the Hungarian authorities will show some mercy, and some understanding and grant me this political asylum.”
In the same video, Mr. Lira predicted that if he was caught attempting to flee the country, he would most likely die in the Ukrainian prison system.
“My case originally started as a free speech issue, but because of the [Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU)] and the inherent corruption of the SBU and the criminal justice system in Ukraine, I will definitely be sent to a prison labor camp where I will most certainly die,” he said. “And so I decided that the smart thing was take my chances in terms of getting across the border.”
Mr. Lira failed in his search for asylum in Hungary and was again picked up by the Ukrainian authorities.
US Efforts to Assist Lira and His Death
In May 2023 comments to The Epoch Times, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said “American citizens should have the ability to express their thoughts and views” about the war in Ukraine. Mr. Lieu added that he would look into Mr. Lira’s detention in Ukraine and said he would “urge our State Department to engage” on the matter.
Asked about Mr. Lira’s detention that same day, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the department was aware of reports of Mr. Lira’s detention and said “in general” that “we obviously support the exercise of freedom of speech anywhere in the world,” but declined to comment further on the matter.
According to communications shared with The Grayzone by his father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., the younger Lira had been dealing with pneumonia for nearly three months prior to his death. According to a handwritten letter shared with The Grayzone, Mr. Lira’s medical condition was being ignored by his jailers.
“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.”
Mr. Lira Sr. told The Grayzone that he had been pleading with the U.S. State Department to intervene on his son’s behalf. The State Department told him that U.S. Embassy staff in Ukraine had “attended” his son’s Dec. 22 hearing “virtually” and would “also attend subsequent hearings virtually.”
Mr. Lira Jr. died on or about Jan. 11 or 12 while in Ukrainian custody.
In statements shared with Mr. Cosgrove and The Grayzone, Mr. Lira Sr. blamed the Ukrainian government and the Biden administration for his son’s death.
“He was tortured, extorted, incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US Embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibles of this tragedy is the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American President, Joe Biden,” the elder Lira stated.
In its statement to NTD News confirming the death of Mr. Lira Jr., the U.S. State Department said, “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”
NTD News reached out to the State Department for further comment, including questions on what efforts U.S. officials made to win Mr. Lira’s release, if any. The State Department did not respond by press time.