In September we wrote about an American reporter who was detained by Ukrainian officials while trying to cross the border into Hungary. His crime, "not supporting the Ukrainian government in its war with Russia."
As first reported by the Grayzone, "Chilean-American war commentator Gonzalo Lira died shortly before noon on January 11, 2024, at a hospital in Kharkiv, where he had been imprisoned for eight months since he was accused of justifying Russian war efforts in Ukraine."
Shortly after learning the news of Liras' death, the son of former President Donald Trump took to social media to express his outrage. "So we are now allowing our former welfare recipients like Zelinski to murder our citizens and our journalists. I'd wait for the outrage from our media but I know it's not coming!"
Lira had been imprisoned in Ukraine for 8 months, being accused of justifying Russian aggression in Ukraine. He died from pneumonia. Here is his final video as he was trying to escape Ukraine into Hungary.
While several pro-Ukrainian narratives have framed Lira's death as justified given his resistance against the current administration's efforts to silence political dissidents, we stand for press freedom. The question remains: why didn't the Biden administration actively work towards securing his release from prison? Additionally, why did the administration seem more focused on securing the release of an anti-American basketball player Brittany Griner involved in drug-related activities in Russia, rather than that of an American journalist? Numerous questions await clarification.
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