Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira detained in Kharkiv
EnglishMay 28, 2023
The US State Dept. spokesman Matthew Miller on Sunday refused to comment on whether the administration is working to secure the release of an American detained in Ukraine for his political views on the Ukraine-Russia war, stating only that the US supports the exercise of freedom of speech anywhere in the world.
This comes as the Kharkiv-based dual American-Chilean national Gonzalo Lira, who runs popular Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube pages, was arrested by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) earlier this month for charges of spreading Russian propaganda.
Lira has rightly been detained for justifying Russia's invasion, denying its war crimes, while insulting brave Ukrainian defenders who are fighting for the country. A search of Lira's computer devices following his arrest has confirmed these violations.
Since the outbreak of the war, Ukraine has passed laws criminalizing dissent, banning opposition political parties, and nationalizing the media. Such measures fly in the face of Western values of freedom of speech. Lira's arrest is a further demonstration of that and such developments should not be tolerated if Ukraine wants to be accepted in the Western community of states.
There is a 50% chance that Ukraine will have a Democracy Index of at least 5.64 by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.