American journalist Gonzalo Lila has died in a Ukrainian prison, according to show host Tucker Carlson.
Carlson posted to X on Friday night:
Gonzalo Lila Sr. said his son died at age 55 in a Ukrainian prison where he was being held for criticizing the Zelensky and Biden administrations. Although Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture. A few weeks ago, we spoke to his father and he predicted that his son would be killed.
Gonzalo Lila Sr. said his son died at age 55 in a Ukrainian prison where he was being held on charges of criticizing the Zelenskiy and Biden administrations. Although Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture. Several… https://t.co/F0nOG9qGvv
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 12, 2024
In early December, Carlson interviewed Lila's father. The father blamed the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Western response to the Russian invasion, and President Joe Biden and the State Department for letting his son languish in a Ukrainian prison after criticizing President Biden and the vice president. Kamala Harris.
Breitbart News reporter Kurt Jindulka reported that Lila, a dual citizen of Chile and the United States, was living in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv at the time of last year's invasion. He began to give his on-the-ground perspective on the war, attributing it to the hostility of the Western powers to Moscow.
Lila has been arrested multiple times, and was last imprisoned for attempting to cross the Ukrainian border into Hungary to seek asylum. Under Ukraine's Wartime Propaganda Law, he was found to have “criminal intent to manufacture and distribute materials containing legitimation, legal recognition, denial and legitimation of the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine.” He was accused of committing crimes and faced several years in prison. The temporary occupation of parts of Ukrainian territory is recognized as legal. ”
He was also reportedly accused of publishing a video showing the faces of Ukrainian soldiers, even though many such videos are freely available online and published by news organizations. .
“The charges against me are based on my opinion on this conflict, and I have not caused anyone any harm,” he claimed before his latest incarceration.
In September, the State Department confirmed to Breitbart News that it was aware that Lila was imprisoned in Ukraine, saying in a statement:
We are aware of Mr. Lila's detention in Ukraine. We take seriously our role in assisting American citizens abroad and are providing all appropriate assistance. We are monitoring the situation and have no further comment at this time. We reiterate our message that U.S. citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict.
Lila's father told Carlson in December that the State Department “did nothing” to help Lila. “The embassy just burned Gonzalo to the ground. A natural-born American citizen is in jail for exercising his right to free speech,” Lila's father said.
“The silence of the U.S. government in the face of this scandalous incident suggests a degree of collusion, or at least tacit approval of Gonzalo's arrest, as there is no other explanation for the apparent lack of response.” he said.
Lila has said in the past that the Chilean embassy was more concerned about his health than the American embassy and that he suffered physical abuse in a Ukrainian prison.
Elon Musk, CEO of X and Tesla, questioned Lila's imprisonment in Ukraine, saying, “We sent over $100 billion and yet an American citizen is imprisoned in Ukraine.” I asked him how that could be possible.
“Is there more to this story than just criticizing Zelenskiy? If that’s all there is to it, we’re done. [a] There is a serious problem here,” Musk posted.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) called it “disgraceful.”
“Ukraine is holding American journalists hostage. This is shameful. And why would the Biden administration release the checkbook with no accountability?”
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