Scratched my left eye with toothpick, cracked rib: US-Chilean journalist describes torture in Ukrainian prison

Chilean-American blogger Gonzalo Lira, who was detained by Ukrainian intelligence in May due to allegations of having pro-Russian sympathies, resurfaced on the internet on Monday and recounted a distressing tale of physical assaults and blackmail while awaiting a show trial.

“I was tortured in two of the four cells I was in—by the other prisoners,” Lira posted in a 25-tweet thread on Monday evening.

“I got a cracked rib in my first cell, but it wasn’t too bad. The worst stretch was in my fourth cell. From 1 pm on June 21 until 7 pm the next day — 30 hours” two inmates tortured him and at one point “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 wrote.

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

Reportedly, one of the individuals involved in the torture of the 55-year-old blogger was supposedly rebuked for causing bruising on the blogger’s chest, as the instructions had been to avoid leaving any visible marks.

Lira shared images of the documents detailing the accusations against him, indicating that his imprisonment was a result of his social media posts and YouTube videos. He pointed out that one particular video titled ‘Ukraine: A Primer’, where he provided an analysis of the conflict with Russia and attributed the provocation to Kiev, had caught the authorities’ attention and led to his situation.

According to Lira, he was beaten and tortured because the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) with the intention of extorting his entire savings, which amounted to approximately $100,000 when considering the value of the confiscated computers and phones.

Upon being informed that he would be declared guilty and face a sentence of 5-8 years in a labor camp during his imminent trial, Lira made the decision to escape Ukraine and pursue asylum in Hungary.

“I’m posting this thread just as I’m getting to the border checkpoint,” he tweeted. “If you don’t hear from me in the next 12 hours—whelp! I’m on my way to a labor camp! Wish me luck.”

Lira acknowledged the Chilean Embassy for any assistance he received while in detention, highlighting that the US Embassy reached out to him three times but only offered “support” without any substantial help. He also expressed concerns that the US might extradite him back to Ukraine due to his belief that Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland holds animosity towards him, as he has been told.

On May 1, Lira was apprehended by the SBU, who accused him of “producing and disseminating materials that justified the armed aggression” of Russia. Following his arrest, a judge ruled that he should remain in custody until the trial. Notably, in April 2022, Lira had been detained by the SBU before but was released after a week without any charges filed, likely due to public pressure.