On Jan. 11, 2024 conservative US YouTuber Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian jail, the place he was held for the crime of criticizing the struggle, and the US and Ukrainian governments. Now, a FOIA request by Judicial Watch sheds stark gentle on the Biden Regime’s full failure to face up for a US political prisoner in a Ukrainian jail. The e-mails reveal the US Embassy was conscious of threats to Gonzalo Lira’s life, which it thought of “no rush.”
After Gonzalo Lira’s demise, the Embassy was largely involved with spin management and learn how to “beef up press steerage” to deal with the query of “why didn’t the U.S. authorities do extra to help Mr. Lira?”
YouTuber Gonzalo Lira (aka “Coach Red Pill”) was arrested in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Might 1, 2023, by a closely armed SWAT crew of the Ukrainian SBU secret police for the crime of “justifying Russian aggression,” which interprets as “criticizing the struggle and the federal government.” On July 6, he was launched on bail and tried to go away the nation for Hungary on his bike, posting a video on the way in which. On Aug. 1, he was rearrested and imprisoned in solitary confinement (SIZO) in Kharkiv.
Gonzalo Lira married a Ukrainian lady and moved to Ukraine in 2020, with whom he has two kids. They later separated. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2021, he discovered himself in the course of a capturing struggle. In his movies, he steadily criticized the mainstream media, the Ukrainian and US governments, and particularly former Beneath Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2021-2024) Victoria Nuland.
The Gateway Pundit filed a FOIA request on Jan. 15, 2024, 4 days after his demise, for all communications regarding the demise of Gonzalo Lira between Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink. Eleven months later, the State Division is stalling on this request and not too long ago wrote that the request wouldn’t be accomplished till March 31, 2026. We have now now utilized for expedited processing as a result of overwhelming public curiosity on this case, which concerned the demise of a US citizen held as a political prisoner in a rustic that has obtained $113 billion in US aid.
After our FOIA request, Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately introduced the retirement of then-Performing Deputy SecState Victoria Nuland on March 5, stunning many. Ukraine coverage architect Nuland was extensively thought of to be vying for the highest job till the Lira case blew up. In September, Nuland joined the board of the Deep State entrance group National Endowment for Democracy.
In the meantime, Judicial Watch has filed a extra basic FOIA request pertaining to the case of Gonzalo Lira, which doesn’t focus particularly on the communication between Nuland and Ambassador Brink.
The Division of State launched 769 closely redacted pages to Judicial Watch in Might, October and November 2024. The Gateway Pundit has obtained these paperwork from Judicial Watch and might report solely on the State Division’s egregious failure to avoid wasting Gonzalo Lira’s life and subsequent makes an attempt at spin.
The paperwork present that the U.S. Embassy grew to become conscious of Gonzalo Lira’s arrest on Might 11 by way of mail from the Ukrainian secret police SBU dates Might 2. “He’s formally charged with a violation of Article 436-2 a part of the (Ukrainian) felony code “Justification, recognition as legit, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine, glorification of its individuals.” Mr. Lira operates a YouTube web site the place he posts quite a few movies that criticize the Ukrainian and U.S. governments, to whom he attributes blame for the struggle in Ukraine”, an Embassy staffer wrote to Ambassador Bridget Brink Aug. 3, with a full timeline of occasions up to now (see images).
After Lira’s try to go away the nation for Hungary and his rearrest on July 31, the US Embassy American Citizen Providers (ACS) Division spoke to him on the cellphone on August 4, 2023, and “tried to ask Mr. Lira about his psychological and bodily well being. Mr. Lira repeatedly interrupted this inquiry with prolonged monologues about threats to his life and security, believing the Ukrainian authorities would actively conspire to have him killed by inmates in jail”, an embassy e-mail reads. The names of the embassy personnel are redacted. (Emphasis added by TGP.)
The emails make it clear the embassy didn’t connect a excessive precedence to serving to Lira and referred to his try to flee alive as “his try to abscond to Hungary.” There isn’t a proof the US embassy took any steps to permit Gonzalo Lira to go away the nation, which finally took his life till Jan. 82024, when it was too late.
A subsequent August 4 e-mail famous that “he (title redacted – presumably Lira’s public defender) requested that the U.S. Embassy reengage with native authorities concerning Mr. Lira’s case, which had decreased in frequency when Mr. Lira was launched on bail.”
The e-mails present how the State Division willfully parroted the false costs of being a “Russian agent” that price Gonzalo Lira’s life.
On Aug. 3, American Citizen Providers (ACS) Kiev wrote to ACS workplaces in Hungary, Moldavia, Slovakia, and Romania – the final route by which Gonzalo Lira was making an attempt to flee Ukraine “as a heads up from Kyiv (sic) ACS, most relevantly to Hungary, however probably to all our neighbors. Gonzalo Lira is a U.S. citizen and outspoken pro-Putin blogger beforehand arrested in Ukraine on costs associated to wartime propaganda. Mr. Lira may be very common amongst sure area of interest populations, (That’s us – TGP editor’s observe) and our public inbox is stuffed with his followers. (We don’t interact or reply.) After his arraignment, the Ukrainian authorities launched him on bail with out an ankle monitor and gave him again each his bike and passport. He’s been a little bit of a headache to the Ukrainian authorities, so we suspect they’re hoping he’ll quietly disappear from the nation.”
The American Citizen Providers division in Kiev thus agreed with Gonzalo Lira’s estimation of his July 31 video on the way in which to the border: that he had been given a wink by Ukrainian authorities to go forward and soar bail to go away the nation.
Amazingly, nobody at American Citizen Providers Kiev appears to have had any curiosity in aiding this American Citizen in leaving the war-torn nation that was out to get him.
Contradicting his hunch the Ukrainians could wish to do away with him, Lira was arrested on the Hungarian border and despatched again to jail in Kharkiv, the place ACS spoke together with his lawyer on August 21 forward of his listening to on August 22.
Lira’s lawyer “commented that he believes the court docket doesn’t assume that the US embassy is sufficient in Lira’s case and that this may impression the court docket’s choice. Nevertheless, Kyiv (sic) ACS believes (the lawyer’s) characterization relies on his need to make use of the U.S. Embassy as part of his protection technique by over-emphasizing our position. Kyiv ACS plans to attend tomorrow’s listening to and can comply with as much as report the occasions of the day.”
After the listening to on August 23, the Embassy famous that Lira’s lawyer “didn’t discover any seen indicators of bodily abuse from this newest detention. He requested that the U.S. Embassy reengage with native authorities concerning Mr. Lira’s case.”
There isn’t a indication the U.S. Embassy did so in any significant manner within the e-mails.
Speaking to Tucker Carlson, Gonzalo Lira’s father claimed Lira was tortured in jail in Kharkiv by inmates on the behest of the authorities within the Fall of 2023.
In November 2024, Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Alexander Dubinsky claimed he had irrefutable proof that Gonzalo Lira was murdered by the Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU), TASS reported.
“We have now come into possession of irrefutable proof that American citizen and blogger Gonzalo Lira was tortured within the Kharkov detention facility. He was overwhelmed in the identical manner I used to be within the Kiev detention facility – he was taken to a cell, in putrid situation, the place they extorted cash from him. When he made this public, he was killed,” Dubinsky stated on his Telegram channel.
Dubinsky claimed Lira’s captors broke the reporter’s ribs and threatened to gouge his eye out with a toothpick, TASS reported.
In December, Lira was scheduled to have one other listening to as public curiosity started ramping up as a result of Tucker Carlson interview. The Gateway Pundit started directing inquiries about Gonzalo Lira’s well-being and their efforts to safe his launch presently. These e-mails from The Gateway Pundit are additionally included within the Judicial Watch FOIA launch.
A Dec. 6, 2023 e-mail from the U.S. Embassy Kiev forward of Lira’s Dec. 21 hearing reads:
“On December 6, Kyiv (sic) ACS had an hourlong digital go to with U.S.-Chilean twin citizen Gonzalo Lira”, the Embassy wrote, noting that “Mr. Lira was agitated and uncooperative all through the dialog, typically berating and threatening ACS… He spoke about his power coronary heart points and requested that the Embassy help in getting him entry to his private e-mail…
Press. Mr. Lira defined that representatives of Tucker Carlson have tried to contact him and his household for interviews. He demanded that the Embassy help with scheduling. ACS provided to relay a request for extra frequent contact to his lawyer, however we don’t intend additional motion for his request to arrange media interviews.
Allegations towards the U.S. authorities. Mr. Lira accused the U.S. authorities of (1) conspiring with the Ukrainian authorities to permit him to die in jail; (2) hindering progress in his felony case; (3) obstructing his entry to the Chilean embassy; and (4) failing to advocate for his launch as a result of discrimination. Kyiv ACS rejects these allegations.
Threats to U.S. authorities officers. Mr. Lira claimed that he had offered the names of Kyiv ACS officers to 3rd events, who’ve doxxed these officers. (Our cursory on-line searches haven’t corroborated this declare.) All through the dialog, he made therats towards quite a few different U.S. authorities officers within the Administration and the State Division, together with unspecified hurt in addition to litigation for unspecified claims.
Prosecution. Mr. Lira accused the Ukrainian authorities of prosecutorial misconduct. He believes the court-appointed translator to be “incompetent” and unable to seize the nuances of his allegedly seditious statements. ACS assured Mr. Lira that we’ll increase these points together with his lawyer.”
As Lira responded with rising anger and concern for his life, the U.S. Embassy seems to have executed nothing to intervene on his behalf, as an alternative responding haughtily and defensively:
“This go to doesn’t sound nice and I don’t assume anybody deserves to listen to this rubbish (sure, rubbish)”, an unnamed Embassy official wrote in response on Dec. 6. “Query – What have been the precise nature of the threats…? Justification – we after all wish to present consular companies, however this could not come at the price of being threatened and having colleagues’ (private info) on the market.”
“No must reply now, no rush,” the identical unnamed official wrote later that day.
Subsequent: Gonzalo Lira’s Father Desperately Tries to Save his Son – State Dept. Spins his Demise
