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Gonzalo Lira

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lira and the second or maternal family name is López.

Gonzalo Lira
Lira in March 2022
Born
Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López

(1968-02-29)February 29, 1968
Burbank, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 2024(2024-01-12) (aged 55)
Ukraine
Nationality
Alma materDartmouth College[1]
Occupations
  • Novelist
  • Commentator[2]

Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López ([ɣonˈsalo ˈaŋxel kinˈtiljo ˈlira ˈlopes], February 29, 1968 – January 12, 2024) was a Chilean-American novelist, filmmaker, commentator and self-styled dating coach. He was involved in the manosphere,[3] posting anti-feminist content under the name Coach Red Pill. As a resident of Kharkiv, Ukraine, he vlogged about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and was described as spreading Russian disinformation and propaganda.[4][5]

In April 2022, Lira disappeared briefly, claiming he'd been detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).[6][7] In May 2023, Lira was arrested and charged with producing and publishing material that tried to justify the ongoing Russian invasion, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.[8][9] Lira was released on bail and subsequently tried to flee the country. He was arrested again for violating his bail conditions, and died of pneumonia in custody on January 12, 2024.[10]

Early life

Lira was born to Chilean parents in Burbank, California,[11] and grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Santiago, Chile, among other places.[12] He graduated from Saint George's College, Santiago in 1985.[12] From 1985 until 1991, he worked as an English teacher and traveled in South America.[12] He entered Dartmouth College in 1991, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in history and philosophy.[1][12]

Career

Lira while filming Secuestro

After graduating, Lira moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter. Unsuccessful, he turned to writing novels.[12] In 1997, Lira released a Spanish-language coming-of-age novel, Tomáh Errázurih.[13][12] Lira's first English-language novel, a spy thriller called Counterparts, was published in January 1998 by G. P. Putnam's Sons.[14][15] Lira received an advance of one million U.S. dollars for the novel and a follow-up,[1] upon which he was referred to by Qué Pasa magazine as the "highest paid Chilean writer in the world".[16]

In 1998, after moving to New York City, Lira wrote, produced, and directed a short comedy film, So Kinky.[12] He was also involved in the story creation of the 2000 video game Soldier of Fortune.[17] Lira published a second English-language book, another spy thriller titled Acrobat, in 2002, the movie rights to which were bought by Miramax.[18][19] In 2005, he filmed Secuestro in Chile, which came in second in the box office in Chile following its opening weekend.[20][21]

From 2010 to 2013, Lira published his thoughts on economics and other subjects on his blog, some of which were reposted by Business Insider,[22] though a majority of his articles have since been removed.[23] He also contributed to Zero Hedge, a far-right financial and geopolitics website.[24] During this period, Lira contacted Australian economist Steve Keen, proposing a collaborative project and suggesting that they start a paid subscription website. According to Keen, Gonzalo "overstated and over-promised what he could do".[4]

From 2017 onward, Lira was active on YouTube under the pseudonym Coach Red Pill (CRP), an allusion to Red Pill and Black Pill symbolism in the manosphere community. The content was misogynistic[5] and anti-feminist in nature, appealing to incels.[25] Lira posted videos with advice such as "never date a woman in her thirties" and argued that all women wanted was money, a house, and kids, as only child-rearing would biologically validate them.[4] In one video, he advised viewers living in Western democracies to move to "a poor, underdeveloped country" due to the former's supposed "totalitarian" deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.[26] In November 2021, Lira deleted most of his CRP content and began posting under his legal name.[21]

Lira in February of 2022, during the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Lira shifted the majority of his commentary to the war. Lira's content was heavily pro-Russian, praising Russian military actions and denying Russian attacks on civilians, as well as doxxing Western journalists.[24][27] His content, which has been described as Russian propaganda and disinformation,[5][28][29] was amplified on social media by Kremlin-linked accounts[30] and praised by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.[31][32]

Lira lived in Kharkiv, and married a Ukrainian woman with whom he had two children, though the pair later separated.[4][33]

Arrest and prosecution

On April 15, 2022, friends and family of Lira said that they had lost touch with him, after which Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs began searching for his whereabouts.[34][35] Ukraine-based American journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo reported Lira's apparent capture by Ukrainian forces on April 18.[25] Lira became the subject of conspiracy theories surrounding his alleged murder,[31][36] but resurfaced alive on April 22, 2022, claiming that he had been detained by the SBU for the period he was missing.[7][37]

On May 1, 2023, Lira was arrested for violating Article 436-2 of Ukraine's criminal code, which prohibits justification of Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.[8][38] The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security noted Lira had also shared pro-Russian disinformation such as claiming the Bucha massacre was faked or that the Ukrainian government was a Neo-Nazi regime, and that Lira had shared video of himself insulting Ukrainian soldiers.[39] His arrest was reported by the SBU on May 5.[40][41] Lira was subsequently released on bail and placed under house arrest.[32] He returned to social media to claim to have been tortured while imprisoned, an allegation denied by the SBU.[32] Lira attempted to flee the country by crossing the Hungarian border on July 31 to claim political asylum, but was captured and arrested again for violating his bail conditions.[24][42]

In December 2023, Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), publicly inquired about Lira on his platform, in response to a post by media personality Tucker Carlson calling Lira a political prisoner.[43][44] The SBU responded that Lira had been detained in accordance with the law.[38] Musk's post was also labeled with a Community Note explaining the nature of Lira's charges, after which Musk claimed that the note had been "gamed by state actors".[45][46] In a Business Insider interview that month, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, who had become a Ukrainian military spokeswoman, asserted that Lira had fabricated his torture accusations in an effort to gain sympathy.[44]

Death

On January 12, 2024, Gonzalo Lira Sr., Lira's father, reported that his son had died in a Ukrainian prison at the age of 55.[23][47] This was confirmed by the United States Department of State[48] and Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[49][50] His cause of death was reported to be pneumonia.[10] Lira Sr. blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United States President Joe Biden for causing his son's death.[51][52] Russian officials, including Maria Zakharova and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, echoed this claim,[53][54] as did some Western political figures.[55] Cathy Young of The Bulwark criticized anti-Ukraine commentators for spreading misinformation about Lira and exploiting his death, and also issued a call for transparency.[55]

Filmography

  • So Kinky (1998) — writer, director.
  • Secuestro (2005) aka Catalina's Kidnapping — co-writer, co-producer, director.

Publications

  • Lira, Gonzalo (1997). Tomáh Errázurih (1 ed.). Santiago de Chile: Mondadori. ISBN 956-258-057-1. OCLC 38081261.
  • Lira, Gonzalo (1998). Counterparts. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-14312-2. OCLC 37300650.
  • Lira, Gonzalo (2002). Acrobat (1 ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-28694-5. OCLC 48515857.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Baden, Denise (December 10, 1996). "El hombre del million de dolares" [The million dollar man]. El Mercurio. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Thompson, Stuart A. (October 25, 2022). "Russia's Unsupported 'Dirty Bomb' Claims Spread Through Right-Wing U.S. Media". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Fogel, Benjamin (March 10, 2023). "Andrew Tate Wants Everyone to Get in on the Grift". Jacobin. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Hay, Mark (March 21, 2022). "How a Sleazy American Dating Coach Became a Pro-Putin Shill in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Zadrozny, Brandy (June 8, 2022). "Russian Propaganda Efforts Aided by pro-Kremlin Content Creators, Research Finds". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Pérez, Graciela (April 19, 2022). "Periodista chileno está desaparecido en Ucrania: Cancillería informó que se "mantiene en contacto con las entidades pertinentes"" [Chilean journalist is missing in Ukraine: Foreign Ministry reported that it “maintains contact with the relevant entities”]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Hermosilla P., Diego (April 25, 2022). "La historia del chileno que dice que lo secuestró el servicio secreto ucraniano" [The story of the Chilean who says he was kidnapped by the Ukrainian secret service]. Publimetro Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Rosen, Evan (May 6, 2023). "Misogynist dating coach Gonzalo Lira, aka Coach Red Pill, arrested in Ukraine for Russian propaganda". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Davis, Julia (May 5, 2023). "'Red Pill' Dating Coach Gonzalo Lira, Accused of Shilling for Putin, Is Arrested in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Butt, Maira (January 18, 2024). "American dating coach turned Kremlin propagandist dies in Ukraine". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  11. ^ Gomez Bravo, Andres (July 12, 2002). "Gonzalo Lira: "Escribir no es ningún misterio"" [Gonzalo Lira: "Writing is no mystery"]. La Tercera. p. 45. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Reisman, Rosemary M. Canfield (January 2007). "Gonzalo Lira". Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works. Salem Press. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Literary Reference Center Plus, EBSCOhost.
  13. ^ Cárdenas, Elisa (September 17, 1997). """Tomáh Errázurih", chileno arquetípico"" [""Tomáh Errázurih", archetypal Chilean"]. La Nación. p. 44.
  14. ^ Colford, Paul D. (October 17, 1996). "Two for the Books: Novice Success Stories". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira. Kirkus Reviews. November 15, 1997.
  16. ^ Albornoz, Pamela (March 29, 1997). "El escritor chileno mejor pagado del mundo" [The highest paid Chilean writer in the world]. Qué Pasa. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ Biessman, Eric (September 27, 2000). "Postmortem: Raven Software's Soldier of Fortune". Game Developer. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Anderson, Patrick (May 5, 2002). "An Unstable Ex-mercenary, a CIA Mod Squad, an Unenlightened JAG Lawyer and Assorted Baddies". The Washington Post. ProQuest 409324723. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  19. ^ Rose, M.J. (January 8, 2002). "Preview Copies Go Digital". WIRED. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  20. ^ Tepernam, Johnny (April 27, 2005). "Tras su primer fin de semana de exhibicion cinta chilena 'Secuestro' se ubico segunda en la taquilla" [After its first weekend of release, the Chilean film 'Secuestro' ranked second at the box office]. United Press International (in Spanish) (published April 26, 2005). Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022 – via gale.com.
  21. ^ a b Fossa, Lissette (April 20, 2022). "Qué se sabe de Gonzalo Lira y su misteriosa desaparición en Ucrania" [What is known about Gonzalo Lira and his mysterious disappearance in Ukraine]. INTERFERENCIA (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  22. ^ Leonard, Andrew (September 28, 2010). "The Dumbest Attack on Paul Krugman, Ever". Salon. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira allegedly dies in Ukrainian detention center". The New Voice of Ukraine. January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c Bowden, John (December 12, 2023). "Meet the 'Putin propagandist' Tucker and Elon Musk want freed in Ukraine". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Alday, John (April 18, 2022). "Todo sobre Gonzalo Lira, el chileno del que se perdió contacto en Ucrania". Mala Espina (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  26. ^ Codrea, David (March 18, 2022). "Conservative Sympathy for Russia in Ukraine War an Exercise in Cognitive Dissonance". Firearms News. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  27. ^ Kurianowicz, Tomasz (December 10, 2023). "Amerikanischer Blogger in ukrainischer Haft: Elon Musk reagiert" [American blogger in Ukrainian custody: Elon Musk reacts]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  28. ^ Romero-Vicente, Ana (September 22, 2022). "The 3F formula of disinformation entrepreneurs: make it Fast, Fake and Famous. Part 1". EU DisinfoLab. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Kellermann, Florian (January 23, 2024). "Gonzalo Lira: Prorussischer US-Blogger in ukrainischem Gefängnis gestorben" [Gonzalo Lira: Pro-Russian US blogger dies in Ukrainian prison]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  30. ^ Bodnar, Joseph; Kohlenberg, Nathan; Schafer, Bret; Soula, Etienne (June 22, 2022). "Hamilton Monthly Report: May 2022". Alliance For Securing Democracy. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Young, Cathy (April 29, 2022). "The Redpill Grifter Who Became an Anti-Ukraine Propagandist". The Bulwark. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c Shashkova, Maryna (December 13, 2023). "EXPLAINED: Why Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk are Big Fans of Gonzalo Lira". KyivPost. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  33. ^ Sideris, Felicia (December 12, 2023). "Ukraine : un Américain est-il réellement emprisonné depuis cinq ans "pour avoir critiqué Zelensky"?" [Ukraine: has an American really been imprisoned for five years "for criticizing Zelensky"?]. TF1 (in French). Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Núñez, Vladimir (April 18, 2022). "Chileno que informaba sobre la guerra en Ucrania está desaparecido: esto escribió en caso de quedar inubicable" [Chilean who reported on the war in Ukraine is missing: this is what he wrote in case he became untraceable]. Meganoticias (in Spanish). Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  35. ^ "Cancillería: Familiares de chileno en Ucrania no tienen noticias de él desde el 15 de abril" [Foreign Ministry: Relatives of Chilean in Ukraine have not heard from him since April 15]. CNN Chile (in Spanish). April 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  36. ^ Bradbury, Shelly (November 29, 2022). "Woman sues Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann for defamation over false murder claim". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  37. ^ Iversen, Kim (April 25, 2022). "Kim Iversen: DISAPPEARED journalist, Gonzalo Lira, captured by Ukrainian forces found ALIVE". The Hill. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  38. ^ a b Shcherbak, Alla (December 10, 2023). "SBU responds to Musk's comments on arrest of pro-Russian blogger Lira". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  39. ^ "Що не так з проросійським блогером Гонсало Лірою, за якого вступились Карлсон і Маск" [What is wrong with the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira, for whom Carlson and Musk intervened]. Ukrinform. December 11, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  40. ^ Borysenko, Ivan (May 5, 2023). "Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira detained in Kharkiv". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  41. ^ "Ucrania confirma arresto de chileno Gonzalo Lira por justificar invasión rusa" [Ukraine confirms arrest of Chilean Gonzalo Lira for justifying Russian invasion]. Swissinfo (EFE) (in Spanish). May 6, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  42. ^ Miasyshchev, Oleksandr; Skibitska, Yuliana (December 15, 2023). "Elon Musk asks Biden to save "American journalist" Gonzalo Lira, who was detained by the SBU. In fact, he is a pro-Russian propagandist, sexist, conspiracy theorist and favorite of Maria Zakharova'". babel.ua. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  43. ^ Shcherbak, Alla (December 10, 2023). "Musk seeks explanation from Zelenskyy over pro-Russian blogger detention". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  44. ^ a b Shoaib, Alia (December 17, 2023). "Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk have rallied behind an American 'red pill' dating coach turned Russian propagandist detained in Ukraine". Business Insider. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  45. ^ "Elon Musk fact-checked on X by his own system - but claims it has been 'gamed by state actors'". Sky News. December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  46. ^ Dorn, Sara (December 10, 2023). "Elon Musk Celebrates Alex Jones X Return In Chat—Joined By Controversial Figures Andrew Tate, Mike Flynn, More". Forbes. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  47. ^ Orlov, Alexander (January 12, 2024). "В украинском СИЗО умер американский блогер Гонсало Лира. Его обвиняли в оправдании российской агрессии" [American blogger Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention center. He was accused of justifying Russian aggression]. Vot Tak (Belsat). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  48. ^ Quinn, Allison (January 17, 2024). "U.S. Finally Confirms American Dating Coach-Turned-Kremlin Shill Died in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  49. ^ Gómez S., Rodrigo (January 13, 2024). "Cancillería confirma la muerte de periodista chileno Gonzalo Lira, quien estuvo preso en Ucrania" [Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  50. ^ "Gonzalo Lira: Cancillería confirma muerte de periodista chileno en Ucrania" [Gonzalo Lira: Foreign Ministry confirms death of Chilean journalist in Ukraine]. 24horas (TVN) (in Spanish). January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  51. ^ "Denuncian la muerte del periodista chileno-estadounidense Gonzalo Lira en Ucrania" [Denoucement of the death of Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira in Ukraine] (in Spanish). Europa Press. January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  52. ^ Rubio, Paz (January 13, 2024). "Quién era Gonzalo Lira, el reportero chileno-estadounidense que falleció tras ser arrestado en Ucrania" [Who was Gonzalo Lira, the Chilean-American reporter who died after being arrested in Ukraine]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  53. ^ "Захарова обвинила США в гибели блогера Лиры" [Zakharova blamed the US for the death of blogger Lira]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  54. ^ "Киеву позволяют пытать даже американцев, заявил Лавров" [Kyiv is allowed to torture even Americans, Lavrov said]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  55. ^ a b Young, Cathy (January 16, 2024). "Anti-Ukraine Chorus Seeks to Exploit an American's Death". plus.thebulwark.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
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