A U.S. journalist was denied hospitalization before dying in a Ukrainian prison

American journalist Gonzalo Lira, who died in custody in Ukraine, was kept in detention shortly before his death despite developing severe pneumonia. Because of his illness, the court hearing had to be held by video link.

Lira was detained by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in May 2023. He was accused of supporting Russia because of posts and videos in which he criticized the West and the Ukrainian authorities.

According to Ukrainian court documents, at a hearing on December 22, 2023, the court decided to continue considering the American’s case remotely due to his health condition. The court justified this by saying that a video hearing should take place given the journalist’s illness and in order not to delay the proceedings.

In 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had no information about Gonzalo Lira, the American-Chilean correspondent who died in prison.

“I don’t know this person and I never knew him. I don’t know whether he is connected to intelligence services or has any ties to Russia,” Zelensky added.