The Washington Standard By  Tim Brown
Gonzalo Lira, a prominent commentator on the Russia-Ukraine war imprisoned in Ukraine for speech critical of the countryâs government, has died after weeks of medical neglect by Ukrainian authorities.
The lies about loving Americans and America that come from people like criminal Joe Biden fall on deaf ears quite often and this story is one of many reasons. An American journalist was tortured and killed in Ukraine, and the Biden Administration, while turning over terrorists to countries in exchange for a man who claims to be a womenâs basketball player. did absolutely nothing to save him.
The Gray Zone has the story.
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.
Lira came to prominence in 2022 when he emerged as a critical voice in an increasingly dictatorial Ukraine. His arrest in May 2023 on charges of âproduction and dissemination of materials justifying Russiaâs armed aggression against Ukraineâ helped to galvanize domestic opposition to US funding for the war and led to calls for his release by tech baron Elon Musk and American political commentator Tucker Carlson.
A note written by Lira and provided by his father to The Grayzone indicates his death came after a nearly three-month battle with pneumonia, a condition which was apparently ignored by his Ukrainian jailers until just weeks before his death. Liraâs death was revealed by his father, Gonzalo Lira, Sr., who had spent weeks pleading with the American embassy to intervene in his sonâs medical emergency.
Emails reviewed by The Grayzone show that after learning of his sonâs illness, the senior Lira urged the embassy to intervene on January 3. In a message to US officials, he noted that Ukrainian authorities appeared to make an effort to conceal information about Lira Jr.âs health from his family and legal representatives. âThe medical warden in the pre-trial jail in Kharkiv is not giving information as to the state of his health,â he wrote, concluding: âIt has been 12 days since I knew his state.â
US citizen Gonzalo Lira faces a long prison term in Ukraine for criticizing Kiev and its war effort.
Shunned by the US State Department, his father is fighting to stop the âslow death of a son.â@RealAlexRubi speaks to Gonzalo Lira Seniorhttps://t.co/gM5KN8U4gr
— The Grayzone (@TheGrayzoneNews) June 2, 2023
The following day, Lira Jr. was finally brought to the hospital and allowed to see his lawyer. The defense attorney left the meeting with a hand-written note from Lira explaining his situation, which is believed to be his final written correspondence.
The letter reads: âI 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. 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.â
Unconvinced that his son would receive proper medical care in a Ukrainian hospital, Gonzalo Lira, Sr. continued to plead with the embassy to monitor the situation. The next day, he wrote to them again: âI need the Embassy to keep in close touch while he is in the hospital and ensure that his health is progressing while in the hospital. You should also contact the Doctor in charge of Gonzalo while in the hospital and verify his recuperation.â
But his efforts proved fruitless. A week later, Lira Sr.âs worst fears were confirmed when he received word that his son had died. He now blames Washington and Kiev for his death…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (thewashingtonstandard.com)
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