What happened to Gonzalo Lira? Prominent US war commentator reportedly dead in Ukraine

Chile-based reporter Gonzalo Lira, who was in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine since May 2023, has reportedly passed away. Tucker Carlson was the first person to report the news, claiming that the news was reportedly revealed by Lira's father.

While his family members are yet to share a statement on his demise, the US Department of State confirmed the news, as per TASS. A representative for the department also said:

"We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment."

The circumstances leading to Gonzalo Lira's death are yet to be made official. Meanwhile, Lira reportedly claimed in a letter earlier this month that he was suffering from pneumonia and pneumothorax, as revealed by blogger Alex Rubinstein on X.

On the other hand, Tucker Carlson also wrote on X that Lira's imprisonment was a result of his criticism of "Zelensky and Biden governments." He stated that the US authorities were in favor of his punishment.

Carlson reported in December last year that Gonzalo was being tortured inside the Ukrainian prison.

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Gonzalo Lira allegedly tried to run away from Ukraine: Legal issues and claims explored

Gonzalo Lira's legal problems started when he targeted the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in one of his YouTube videos, as per Newsweek. The incident happened during the Russia-Ukraine conflict the same year.

Lira claimed that Zelensky was under the influence of drugs and neo-Nazis were in control of Ukraine. He additionally stated that Ukraine's Armed Forces were responsible for the entire conflict. He was later arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine in May 2023 but was released.

He was reportedly arrested again in August 2023 when he tried to leave Ukraine. The European Conservative stated that he allegedly claimed the same in a long thread through X and was trying to reach Hungary. He also revealed the details of his indictments and wrote:

"As you can see, even the prosecutor admits I committed no crime against property or any person. And I certainly provided no aid or intelligence to the Russians."

Gonzalo Lira continued to claim that he was restricted from getting in touch with his attorneys or anyone else and that he was sent to Sizo Prison. He alleged that he was tortured by the prisoners after being ordered by the guards, and one of them also apologized to him. Gonzalo said:

"I got a cracked rib in my first cell, but it wasn't too bad. The worst stretch was in my fourth cell."

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There were demands for the release of Gonzalo Lira

According to the Independent, Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk were trying to convince the US government to focus on the release of Gonzalo Lira. Carlson wrote in a tweet at the time:

"American Zelensky critic jailed in Ukraine. Where is our State Department? Lira arrested after criticizing Biden. Is Ukraine the democracy we're told it is?"

Lira was supposed to be sentenced for around five to eight years and while he was under the custody of SBU, journalist Sarah-Ashton Cirillo was reportedly coming in as a witness in the case, as per The Daily Beast. Sarah also shared a statement on the same, saying that the Ukraine authorities wouldn't change their decision due to some kind of pressure and continued:

"Obviously, when I was accused by Maria Zakharova and the Russian MFA of being complicit in Gonzalo Lira's disappearance last year, it set off a lynch mob of his supporters accusing me of murder."

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According to Business Insider, Gonzalo Lira completed his graduation from Dartmouth College. He was the author of novels like Counterparts, Acrobat, and Tomah Errazurih.