Moscow criticizes Western media for not covering the death of a US journalist
Chilean-American blogger Gonzalo Lira died while incarcerated in Ukraine in January 2024. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Chilean-American Gonzalo Lira succumbed to his fate in a Ukrainian prison after being arrested by the country's secret service, a situation that has drawn notable commentary from Russian officials.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, indicated that the lack of international concern for Lira's well-being highlights a significant failure of the global institutions meant to protect journalists. Lira, who held dual Chilean-American citizenship, died in January 2024 while awaiting trial on charges of "systematically justifying the Russian aggression."
Zakharova reiterated Lira’s plight during a conference on media development at the Moscow School of Economics, questioning the lack of attention from other nations. “Has anyone else talked about Gonzalo Lira? An American journalist, He had a US passport. Has anyone talked about him besides Russia? Try to remember. Nobody did,” she asserted.
When inquiries arose regarding Lira’s situation, both the White House and the US State Department remained notably silent. Zakharova criticized this, stating, “strategic silence, generously paid for by USAID, an American agency that supposedly promotes international development. It is ridiculous.”
She further emphasized the notion that international journalists' protective organizations are currently facing a severe crisis. “Waiting for them to resuscitate or for them to be resuscitated by someone else is unnecessary and useless,” she remarked, suggesting that Russia possesses a robust journalistic community capable of addressing the issue independently.
Lira had been married to a Ukrainian woman and lived in Kharkov since 2010, where he faced scrutiny from Ukrainian authorities for his critical YouTube coverage of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, particularly aimed at President Vladimir Zelensky's government.
The blogger, writer, and filmmaker had earlier encountered legal troubles when the Security Service of Ukraine first detained him in early 2022. He was released after a week without charges. However, he was arrested again in May 2023 and managed to secure bail three months later despite claiming he had endured torture while incarcerated. Lira found himself back in custody in late July of the same year after attempting to flee the country for asylum in Hungary.
His father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., questioned whether the Biden administration might have tacitly approved of his son's arrest, while the journalist’s family ultimately attributed his prison death to the negligence of the Ukrainian government.
In related discussions, Elon Musk, an ally of former President Donald Trump, also speculated in February that Zelensky was responsible for Lira's demise. When Zelensky was approached about Lira in a recent press conference, he stated, “I do not know this man. I never knew him.”
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, indicated that the lack of international concern for Lira's well-being highlights a significant failure of the global institutions meant to protect journalists. Lira, who held dual Chilean-American citizenship, died in January 2024 while awaiting trial on charges of "systematically justifying the Russian aggression."
Zakharova reiterated Lira’s plight during a conference on media development at the Moscow School of Economics, questioning the lack of attention from other nations. “Has anyone else talked about Gonzalo Lira? An American journalist, He had a US passport. Has anyone talked about him besides Russia? Try to remember. Nobody did,” she asserted.
When inquiries arose regarding Lira’s situation, both the White House and the US State Department remained notably silent. Zakharova criticized this, stating, “strategic silence, generously paid for by USAID, an American agency that supposedly promotes international development. It is ridiculous.”
She further emphasized the notion that international journalists' protective organizations are currently facing a severe crisis. “Waiting for them to resuscitate or for them to be resuscitated by someone else is unnecessary and useless,” she remarked, suggesting that Russia possesses a robust journalistic community capable of addressing the issue independently.
Lira had been married to a Ukrainian woman and lived in Kharkov since 2010, where he faced scrutiny from Ukrainian authorities for his critical YouTube coverage of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, particularly aimed at President Vladimir Zelensky's government.
The blogger, writer, and filmmaker had earlier encountered legal troubles when the Security Service of Ukraine first detained him in early 2022. He was released after a week without charges. However, he was arrested again in May 2023 and managed to secure bail three months later despite claiming he had endured torture while incarcerated. Lira found himself back in custody in late July of the same year after attempting to flee the country for asylum in Hungary.
His father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., questioned whether the Biden administration might have tacitly approved of his son's arrest, while the journalist’s family ultimately attributed his prison death to the negligence of the Ukrainian government.
In related discussions, Elon Musk, an ally of former President Donald Trump, also speculated in February that Zelensky was responsible for Lira's demise. When Zelensky was approached about Lira in a recent press conference, he stated, “I do not know this man. I never knew him.”
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
