Ukrainian President Zelenskyi’s government arrested a U.S. citizen with dual US-Chile citizenship for speech crimes. Gonzalo Lira lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and his speech crimes under US law are not crimes and fall under the 1st Amendment rights. He is a critic of Mr. Zelenskyi and the war, but he claims his anger stems from Zelenskyi’s failure to end this war early on.
Mr. Lira is a writer and YouTube commentator. A number of his YouTube videos appear to be gone.
Ukraine’s leadership regards Lira as a Russian propagandist. Staying in Ukraine was foolish on his part, given his views.
Mr. Lira has criticized the US but so did Brittney Griner. The US made a stunning effort to get her out of prison and left a Marine in prison. They gave up the most dangerous of Russian gun dealers for Ms. Griner.
The Epoch Times reporter Liam Cosgrove asked State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller about Lira’s arrest. Ukraine allegedly arrested him for justifying Russia’s invasion. It was a free speech issue, Cosgrove noted.
US LIKELY HAS NO PLANS TO ASK FOR HIS RELEASE
Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu urged the US to seek his release. Cosgrove mentioned it to Miller and asked him if the US was seeking his release and how he felt about detaining US citizens abroad for their free speech.
MILLER: “So I will say in general that we’re aware of the report. We obviously support the exercise of freedom of speech anywhere in the world, and I’ll leave it at that. “
COSGROVE: “So you guys aren’t working to get him released.”
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MILLER” “I’m gonna leave my comments where I just left them.”
The US State Department is pleading the fifth and is not going to do anything about the arrest and imprisonment of Gonzalo Lira, a US citizen in Ukraine, who ran afoul of the Zelensky regime over his criticism. There is no free speech in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Kf6ykgC6zN
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 28, 2023
It’s hard to believe the arrest would have taken place without US permission or that he would continue to be detained without US permission. But that’s conjecture.
US JOURNALIST CALLED FOR HIS ARREST
His speech crimes include comments like Russia’s invasion was “one of the most brilliant invasions in military history.” He was also known as the Red Pill Dating Coach. Basically, the Ukraine Secret Service – the SBU – said he was shilling for Russia. He doesn’t think much of US journalists, either.
Lira also promoted stories about US bio-labs in Ukraine.
A US journalist, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, allegedly a supporter of free speech, supports this arrest. She is now a volunteer in the Ukraine army and said his arrest is “a long time coming.”
Cirillo is allegedly a transgender who was born Michael, and who urged Ukraine to arrest Lira. Mr. Lira possibly faces the death penalty.
This RT video of his arrest with a comment by Cirillo cannot be shared for some reason.
