Has Gonzalo Lira Escaped Ukraine?
"Either I'll cross the border and make it to safety, or I'll be disappeared by the Kiev regime."
At 2am Ukrainian time, Gonzalo Lira, a controversial wartime vlogger with ardent followers, posted a long thread on Twitter and 3 videos on Youtube.
"Right now, I'm about to try to get out of Ukraine, and seek political asylum in Hungary. Either I'll cross the border and make it to safety, or I'll be disappeared by the Kiev regime. This is what's happened to me over the past three months..."
Lira was taken by the dreaded SBU, from his home in Kharkiv on May 1 2023, and charged with being a pro-Russian propagandist. That was his second arrest, the first in April last year.
Who Wants to Silence Gonzalo Lira?
Naked Capitalism reframed his situation as 'U.S. vs. Gonzalo Lira'. Therein, Andrew Korybko described the situation:
"Dual American-Chilean national Gonzalo Lira was recently arrested by Ukraine’s secret police on charges pertaining to 'wartime propaganda', for which he faces the possibility of 5-8 years in jail. The US Government’s (USG) silence on this incident completely contrasts with its hysteria over Wall Street Journal (WSJ) employee Evan Gershkovich’s arrest in Russia last month on charges of espionage after he was caught red-handed soliciting classified military-industrial information from a regional lawmaker.
This is a betrayal of American principles since the freedom of speech is regarded as a sacred right of all its citizens no matter where they might be at any given time.. The United States Government is supposed to support the rights of its nationals abroad. This is especially so whenever they’re arrested for expressing an opinion and/or practicing journalism like he was.
Its silence in the face of this scandalous incident suggests a degree of complicity in, or at the very least tacit approval of, Lira’s arrest since nothing else cogently explains the conspicuous lack of any response."
Surprisingly Released on Bail
On July 6, Lira was released on bail, looking paler and greyer. He was surprised at the situation, his papers returned and his social media accounts under his control. He interpreted that as the Ukrainian State wanting him to choose exile instead of 5-8 years in prison. It could be that’s what the USA wants too. Politically, it would be less disruptive.
Lira is regularly demonised by his different past wherein he's labelled as a chauvinist. Some commentators on the war see him as a double-agent. But as a regular critic, a counter-narrative to Zelensky and company, he's accrued a large following e.g., at the time of this post, the first part in his Twitter thread had received 2 million views.
I don't have a fully formed opinion of Lira but agree with his byline:
"Is the truth propaganda? | America creates chaos all around the world—and calls it the “Rules Based Order”. | The more you understand, the less you forgive."
Lira’s father previously told The Grayyzone that:
“He feels that the Ukrainian citizens are not being told the truth as to the results of the war while Ukraine is being destroyed. Gonzalo cannot be accused of being a Russian propagandist nor agent, he simply has openly [expressed] to his near 300,000 followers his impressions of the war. He has never contacted a Russian soldier nor Russian agent. As an American citizen living in the country that his two children live, he has expressed his right of speech.”
I expect wannabe democracies like Ukraine to protect free speech (especially when derived from open source information). I want governments to practice single standards and stand up for their citizens. Chile made small effort. The USA did not.
Awaiting the ‘Fate’ of Gonzalo Lira
Has Gonzalo Lira escaped Ukraine? Some are predicting that no update from him means that he’s been rearrested. I expect that if he was allowed by Ukraine to cross, that Hungary will have detained him for questioning, and will need time to figure out their own geopolitical position which is between a rock and a hard place, between the Cold War’s East and West.
The only fact is that we don’t know the whereabouts of Lira. When we do, I will update this post. For now, listen to his earlier intention which I’m also posting as an audio in case the YouTube videos get removed.
Not getting any word from Gonzalo worries me. I hope it's because he's in Hungary detained by the Hungarians and will be given asylum.
BB, you're wrong about Lira and Escobar.