Chile’s Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine

Gonzalo Lira had been in prison since May 5, 2023, after being detained by the Ukrainian security service after being accused of allegedly supporting and justifying the Russian military operation.

The Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira died in Ukraine after having been in prison for various crimes reported by the Ukrainian security service. Lira was covering the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The information was first reported by Russian media, but later confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country.

According to Sputnik, the journalist had pneumonia in both lungs, pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema. Likewise, although the illnesses worsened in mid-October, the prison authorities ignored it until December 22.

For its part, RT also reported the death of the professional, providing the same diagnosis.

This information was expressed by the same journalist through different publications that he made once free.

When consulted by CNN Chile, the Foreign Ministry explained that the consulate in Warsaw, Poland, reported the death, so they were gathering more details in Kiev.

On May 5, 2023, Lira was detained by the Ukrainian security service after being accused of allegedly supporting and justifying the Russian military operation, spreading false news about the conflict, filming videos where he tried to capture the faces of Ukrainian military personnel and insulting them.

Lira, originally from the United States and with Chilean citizenship, previously criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) , the Biden Administration and Zelensky himself in his videos.

The journalist’s father, also called Gonzalo Lira, referred to his son’s death in the same medium through a letter published by American journalist Tucker Carlson on social networks.

“I cannot accept the way my son died. He was tortured, extorted, held incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibility for this tragedy lies with the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American president, Joe Biden,” said Carlson.

Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine (Translation by Google)

RT says that the State Department confirmed his death. Zerohedge reported. Breitbert reported. The Grayzone reported. NakedCapitalism reported. The article, that I posted, was from WSAU AM in Wisconsin (they removed it). Nothing in mainstream corporate media, of course!

The Atlas Network and the Building of Argentina’s Donald Trump

Yves here. We’re featuring a post from openDemocracy on Argentina’s primary results that had far-right candidate Javier Milei beating the candidates of the two parties that have been in power for two decades. The post is telling, and not in a good way. Milei does advocate extreme views (not that he can go as far as he likes since even if he won a plurality again, he would still be leading a coalition government). And too many commentators forget that voters regularly move to the right in bad economic times, which Argentina is certainly suffering. It’s that the piece depicts him as a Trumpian outsider/madman, when Nick Corbishley’s post right after the primary results were in describes Milei’s considerable, if sometimes seamy, establishment connections…including to the Kochs:

How Javier Milei Upset Argentina’s Political Status Quo

Previously:

Is Argentina’s presidential frontrunner Javier Milei US’ “boy?” Rejects China+Mercosur, embraces $$

Orinoco Tribune Editor: There Was a Coup Against Pedro Castillo in Peru + Some Notes

[2017] Libertarian Atlas Network Pushes Latin America Right

US vs. Gonzalo Lira

Lambert here: As before, Lira hold dual Chilean-American citizenship. So Yves remarks:

I suggest Lira followers call their Chilean Embassy or Consulate to demand that Lira either be allowed his freedom or transported safely out of Ukraine.

Worth noting that Lira seems to be part of a more general enforcement of “Their Democracy”:

I love it that “glorification” can be a crime in Ukraine. We should do that!

US vs. Gonzalo Lira
Source: Twitter.

Ukraine Jails US Commentator Gonzalo Lira for Speaking Uncomfortable Facts (odysse) via The New Atlas

Related:

Source.

Detaining Gonzalo Lira: Another blow to the freedom of press in Ukraine

Chilean journalist, Gonzalo Lira, arrested in Ukraine

Lost In Translations – The Dangers Of Being Misled By Them

Lost In Translations – The Dangers Of Being Misled By Them

The issue of errors in translations, innocent as well as intentionally misleading ones, may soon become an even bigger issue. The U.S. Congress is providing money to produce many more of them:

The House bill introduced by Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro and Bill Keating and Republicans Mike Gallagher and Brian Fitzpatrick would provide for the establishment of a federally funded Open Translation and Analysis Center (OTAC) focused on China.

It would be based on the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), which provided translation and analysis of Soviet bloc and other foreign government media during the Cold War.

The bill calls for funding of $80 million for fiscal 2022 and that same amount annually for each fiscal year through 2026 as well as “such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year thereafter.”

Referring to the acronyms of the People’s Republic of China and its ruling Communist Party and armed forces, the aide said OTAC would “systematically translate PRC/CCP/PLA speeches, documents, reports, strategies, news articles, commentaries, journal articles, procurement contracts into English and publish them freely online.”

Castro said that for the United States “to effectively both compete and cooperate with” countries like China and Russia it needed a better understanding of them.

“A nuanced understanding of foreign countries is impossible without reading how they communicate in their own languages,” he told Reuters.