ER Editor: So much that is happening now seems to be pure theatre to (we believe) USEFULLY re-set the media landscape. Tucker and ‘Elon’ seem to be the leading voices, with newly-approved Alex Jones in the wings.
We have reported a fair bit on US citizen Gonzalo Lira in Ukraine and the predicament he apparently would seem to be in. See Gonzalo Lira on this site. The latest piece we put out wondered if Lira were shilling for Ukraine as per Scott Ritter‘s not unreasonable suspicions at the time. The last we heard is that Lira, a critical voice against Ukraine and Zelensky, was arrested by Ukraine’s intelligence services in August while trying to escape the country.
It’s linked to below, but to us this seems like the pivotal message, once again delivered by Tucker, as he trashes the entire Ukraine narrative BY WAY OF talking about Gonzalo Lira and giving Lira a voice (who attacks Zelensky and the entire ‘Biden’/western approach). It’s a quiet nod to Russia and Putin, admitting the aggression of NATO into the conversation, as well as an attack on ‘Biden’ propping up Ukraine with taxpayer money. Gonzalo’s father, clearly a well-informed man, gives a heavily political pitch. Tucker does a slam-dunk monologue, well worth watching —
Ep. 47 Gonzalo Lira is an American citizen who’s been tortured in a Ukrainian prison since July, for the crime of criticizing Zelensky. Biden officials approve of this, because they’d like to apply the same standard here. The media agree. Here’s a statement from Gonzalo Lira’s… pic.twitter.com/4H2otHhYHi
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 9, 2023
This is US foreign policy shifting on Ukraine.
Below a two-fer from RT and Zerohedge.
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Father of American jailed in Ukraine blames Biden
Gonzalo Lira Sr. has claimed that Washington was complicit in the detention of his son for criticizing Kiev
RT
President Joe Biden’s administration was complicit in the arrest of a US citizen who was jailed and tortured in Ukraine for criticizing the Kiev government, the father of incarcerated blogger Gonzalo Lira has claimed, saying his son may have sealed his fate when he also spoke out against Washington.
Gonzalo Lira was apprehended by Ukrainian authorities for the third time in August, while trying to escape into Hungary after being released on bail. The Chilean-American journalist had repeatedly criticized the government of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, arguing that Kiev had provoked its conflict with Russia and had no chance of winning.
“This that is happening to my son, he’s a victim of this Biden government and his relation with that puppet Zelensky,” Gonzalo Lira Sr. said on Saturday in an interview with US political commentator Tucker Carlson. “Zelensky is a man that has made opponents, political opponents, disappear.”
The 80-year-old father said his son had bravely reported on about a dozen Zelensky opponents who had been “disappeared.” The younger Gonzalo Lira also predicted correctly that the Russian economy would be relatively unscathed by Western sanctions and that NATO members would suffer a boomerang effect from their efforts to arm Ukraine and punish Moscow.
However, it was only after the blogger sharply criticized Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris that he was arrested for a second time, in May, Gonzalo Lira Sr. told Carlson.
“Isn’t it odd that four days later, after condemning Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Gonzalo was arrested?” the father asked. “Why was he not detained earlier? When he was let go the previous year, he continued the same criticism against the war.” He added, “The USA government, with its silence in the face of this scandalous incident, suggests a degree of complicity, or at least tacit approval of Gonzalo’s arrest.”
Lira contrasted the Biden administration’s “conspicuous lack of response” to his son’s arrest to Washington’s aggressive efforts to secure the release of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges in March.
The younger Lira is relying on a court-appointed Ukrainian attorney who speaks no English for his legal defense. Just before being captured in August, he warned that if he failed to get safely into Hungary and be granted political asylum, he would likely die in a Ukrainian labor camp.
Gonzalo Lira Sr. has called his son a political prisoner and has argued that his case illustrates the absurdity of US claims that the world must defend “freedom and democracy” in Ukraine. “If we are going to protect democracy in the world, let’s start by taking out that puppet called Zelensky,” he said.
Source
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Musk Asks Zelensky About Imprisoned American Journalist After Tucker Carlson Sounds Alarm
In May, American YouTuber and columnist Gonzalo Lira was arrested in Ukraine because he “publicly justified” the Russian invasion, according to a press release by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The statement from Kiev said that Lira “has the citizenship of one of the countries of Latin America” but omitted that he is also California-born U.S. citizen, as ZeroHedge contributor Space Worm reported at the time.
Following his release, Lira said he was tortured in a Ukrainian prison, explaining that “two thugs held my head and used a toothpick to scratch the whites of my left eye, while asking me if I could still read if I had just one.” Lira informed followers that he was making a mad-dash via motorcycle towards the Hungarian border:
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
Grayzone reporter Liam Cosgrove pressed State Department spox Matthew Miller on the issue, asking how the Biden Administration has allowed an American to be tortured by a closely allied nation:
The Grayzone’s @cosgrove_iv asked @StateDeptSpox today about the status of Gonzalo Lira, the US citizen who was jailed by the Ukrainian govt for challenging its official narrative of the war and whose Twitter account now claims he’s making a break for the Hungarian border pic.twitter.com/kc7NY6hkdt
— The Grayzone (@TheGrayzoneNews) August 1, 2023
Even more damning about Miller’s non-answer is that 3 months prior, Miller admitted that the State Department was aware of Lira’s imprisonment and plead the Fifth when asked whether the administration planned to advocate for his release:
State Department refuses to say whether it will negotiate with Zelensky for the release of detained U.S. citizen Gonzalo Lira: pic.twitter.com/jTD58XjYnw
— Liam Cosgrove (@cosgrove_iv) May 28, 2023
Tucker and Elon sound the alarm
In a Saturday post on X, Tucker Carlson highlighted Lira’s situation and spoke with the journalist’s father. Carlson asked why the Biden administration is allowing this, and questioned what kind of country Ukraine is for doing this to an American simply for criticizing the government.
In response, Elon Musk asked: “An American citizen is in prison n Ukraine after we sent over a $100 billion?” adding, “Is there more to this story than simply criticizing Zelensky?”
“If that’s all it is, then we have serious problem here.”
Ep. 47 Gonzalo Lira is an American citizen who’s been tortured in a Ukrainian prison since July, for the crime of criticizing Zelensky. Biden officials approve of this, because they’d like to apply the same standard here. The media agree. Here’s a statement from Gonzalo Lira’s… pic.twitter.com/4H2otHhYHi
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 9, 2023
Yep. Saying unapproved things. That’s his crime.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 10, 2023
Musk then directly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to explain…
President @ZelenskyyUa, please educate the American people about this matter
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2023
Which reminds us, 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pointed out that Ukraine is an extremely corrupt country.
You know what’s naive? Those who claim that Ukraine is a paragon of “democracy” in a battle of good vs. evil. Here’s the TRUTH about the Zelensky regime:
– Banned 11 opposition parties
– Recently assassinated a 2019 Ukrainian Presidential candidate ⁰-Consolidated all TV media… pic.twitter.com/JUqPrzxC8K— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 7, 2023
Is the worm turning?
President @ZelenskyyUa, please educate the American people about this matter
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2023
We need an answer immediately. We gave you so much money and you hold one of us like this?
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) December 9, 2023
What happened next? https://t.co/FRzKw5bNsb
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) December 10, 2023
Gonzalo wasn’t a gay female basketball player so the US State dept didn’t care
— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) December 10, 2023
he might ask few billions from you instead
— The White Rabbit 🐇 (@WR_Samurai) December 9, 2023
Source
Published to The Liberty Beacon from EuropeReloaded.com
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