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Chilean-American reporter Gonzalo Lira, who claimed he would attempt to flee Ukraine after being subjected to physical abuse and extortion in custody, has gone missing, a source has confirmed to RT (Russian Television) – reports thepressunited.com.
Gonzalo Lira, a vocal critic of the Ukrainian government, had resurfaced this week, months after being arrested by SBU.
In a series of posts on Twitter and YouTube, he stated his intention to cross the border into Hungary and apply for political asylum.
In his Tuesday tweets, he claimed he had been kept incommunicado in pre-trial detention since early May. He also claimed he had been deprived of sleep, and was beaten and tortured by other inmates on instructions from prison authorities.
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.
1/25
— Gonzalo Lira (@GonzaloLira1968) July 31, 2023
Indeed, many journalists and friends shared or retweeted the news on Lira’s escape attempt, and were anxiously awaiting news on his whereabouts, some criticizing the US government for not calling for the release of the US journalist reclaiming the “value of an American free press,” that Joe Biden celebrated only two years ago, like they did in the case of Evan Gershkovich from Russia.
Gonzalo Lira apparently never made it across the border.
Mark Sleboda, a political analyst and frequent guest on RT, confirmed to the channel that Lira was stopped by Ukrainian border guards and has not been heard from since.
Photo: Facebook/Americans for Armed Neutrality
Lira has been accused by Ukraine of “publicly justifying” the Russian military operation and “disseminating fakes [false stories] about the war in Ukraine.” He claims the charges were bogus and that he did nothing but explain his opinions about Kiev’s policies and report what was happening in the country, the news portal concludes.
Featured image: Facebook/Free Gonzalo Lira