(Patriot.Buzz) – In the face of mounting scrutiny over Joe Biden’s desire to give Ukraine a blank taxpayer-funded check to advance its military agenda, a 55-year-old YouTuber and critic of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy died in a Ukrainian prison following his political arrest last year.
Tucker Carlson reported on Gonzalo Lira’s death based on information from Lira’s father, blaming the Biden administration for supporting Lira’s unfair punishments.
“Gonzalo Lira, Sr. says his son has died at 55 in a Ukrainian prison, where he was being held for the crime of criticizing the Zelensky and Biden governments. Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, but the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture,” stated Carlson.
As reported by The Daily Beast, Lira had become a controversial figure for criticizing Zelenskyy and for his outspoken support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The State Department confirmed Lira’s death but refrained from commenting further out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.
Residing in Kharkiv at the time of his arrest on May 1, 2023, Lira faced allegations from Ukrainian officials of creating pro-Russia propaganda. According to The Daily Beast, he was accused of filming Ukrainian soldiers to undermine their military efforts.
While searching Lira’s home, Ukrainian authorities reportedly discovered further evidence of illegal activities on his cell phone and computer. These findings led to charges relating to wartime propaganda under parts 2 and 3 of article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
Lira’s YouTube content, which defended Russian President Vladimir Putin and argued that Russian forces were avoiding damage to civilian infrastructure and harm to civilians in Ukraine, added to the scrutiny he faced.
In his final Twitter post in July 2023, Lira detailed his attempts to leave Ukraine and seek political asylum in Hungary. He expressed fears of being apprehended by the government and potentially being sent to a labor camp.
However, his attempt to flee resulted in re-arrest in July, and he was subsequently detained at the Kharkiv pretrial detention center, as reported by Yahoo News. Following news of Lira’s situation, U.S. billionaire and CEO Elon Musk demanded an explanation from Zelenskyy, accusing Ukrainian officials of torturing Lira since July for criticizing the Ukrainian president.
