Zamora was arrested in 2022 following a raid in which he was not informed of the charges against him. In less than 72 hours, authorities fabricated charges of money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling. His first hearing, however, did not take place within the 24-hour legal timeframe after his detention, marking the beginning of a judicial process plagued by irregularities.

Since then, the Guatemalan Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened three baseless criminal cases against Zamora, systematically violating his rights to due process, legal defense, and the presumption of innocence. The prosecution and judicial system have acted in bad faith, building a case designed to send a message that critical journalism will be silenced in the country.

This date now marks, in practice, the fulfillment of a sentence for crimes he did not commit.

The persecution did not stop with Zamora: Since his arrest, elPeriódico’s newsroom has faced relentless legal and financial attacks, ultimately leading to the newspaper’s closure. A criminal investigation was opened against nine additional journalists on staff and the remaining members of his family were threatened with criminal charges and forced into exile.  

Despite favorable rulings that have exposed the abuse of power by certain judicial entities, and despite international recognition from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and UN experts that his detention is arbitrary – and that he has been exposed to forms of torture – Jose Rubén Zamora remains behind bars.

The signatory organizations demand his immediate release, the full restoration of his fundamental human rights, and an end to his political persecution.

Signatory organizations

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Protection International Mesoamérica
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR)
Freedom House
Article 19 México y Centroamérica
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
IFEX-ALC
Latin American Working Group (LAWG)

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

“The decision to return journalist José Rubén Zamora to prison is a blatant act of judicial persecution. This case represents a dangerous escalation in the repression of independent journalism,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator, in São Paulo. “We call on authorities to release him immediately, stop using the justice system to silence critical journalism, and to respect press freedom and due process.”

Zamora’s return to jail on money laundering charges that have been widely condemned as politically motivated was ordered by Judge Erick García, who had initially granted Zamora house arrest on Oct. 18, 2024. García said during Monday’s hearing that he and his staff had been threatened and intimidated by unknown individuals, according to a report by Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre.

Zamora, 67, was first arrested on July 29, 2022, and spent more than 800 days in pretrial detention before being placed under house arrest. A pioneering investigative journalist, Zamora has faced decades of harassment and persecution for his work, which CPJ has extensively documented. He received CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1995 for his commitment to independent journalism. His newspaper, elPeriódico, was forced to shut down in 2023.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

“The decision to return journalist José Rubén Zamora to prison is a blatant act of judicial persecution. This case represents a dangerous escalation in the repression of independent journalism,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator, in São Paulo. “We call on authorities to release him immediately, stop using the justice system to silence critical journalism, and to respect press freedom and due process.”

Zamora’s return to jail on money laundering charges that have been widely condemned as politically motivated was ordered by Judge Erick García, who had initially granted Zamora house arrest on Oct. 18, 2024. García said during Monday’s hearing that he and his staff had been threatened and intimidated by unknown individuals, according to a report by Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre.

Zamora, 67, was first arrested on July 29, 2022, and spent more than 800 days in pretrial detention before being placed under house arrest. A pioneering investigative journalist, Zamora has faced decades of harassment and persecution for his work, which CPJ has extensively documented. He received CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1995 for his commitment to independent journalism. His newspaper, elPeriódico, was forced to shut down in 2023.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Zamora, 67, spent 813 days in prison, accused of money laundering, until he was granted house arrest on October 18, 2024. The following month, a Guatemalan appeals court ordered Zamora back to jail, but he has remained in house arrest until his appeal is heard.

“It’s inhumane what the Guatemalan judicial system is doing to journalist José Rubén Zamora,” said CPJ’s Latin American program coordinator, Cristina Zahar. “His presumption of innocence was shattered for more than two years when he was arbitrarily detained. He must be immediately released.”

In June 2023, Zamora was sentenced to six years imprisonment on money laundering charges, which were criticized as politically motivated.

CPJ has repeatedly urged the Guatemalan government to end Zamora’s prosecution and the harassment of his family and his journalist colleagues.

CPJ called the Supreme Court but didn’t get an immediate response.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

The decision is a new blow to press freedom in Guatemala. Zamora, president of the now defunct elPeriódico newspaper, had already spent 813 days in jail and experienced years of government harassment after his reporting challenged the country’s political elite. 

Zamora was sentenced to six years imprisonment in June 2023 on money laundering charges, which were widely criticized as politically motivated. An appeals court overturned his conviction in October 2023; the retrial has been delayed by ongoing procedural hurdles.

CPJ has repeatedly urged the Guatemalan government, especially President Bernardo Arévalo, to end Zamora’s prosecution and the harassment of his family and the journalistic community. 

In an interview with CPJ before the overturning of his house arrest, Zamora discussed the personal toll of these charges, his unyielding commitment to press freedom, and the growing threats faced by journalists in Guatemala’s increasingly repressive environment.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is it like to return home after more than 800 days in prison?

Returning home has been an experience full of intense emotions and unexpected moments. When I arrived home, my friends who had supported me throughout the entire process came with me to my house — 10 people who, during my imprisonment, brought me food and visited me once a week. After spending the night with them, I only slept for a few hours. 

When I woke up, I found out that the directors of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), who were gathered in Córdoba, Argentina, wanted to speak with me. And from there, calls and interviews began, one after another.

Diplomats and media from all over the world want to speak with me, and when I go for my daily walk — about 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] a day — people stop to greet me, take photos, and offer their support. 

I appreciate the affection, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed. I wasn’t prepared for so much attention. I’m a shy person; I feel more comfortable writing than speaking in public, and this has been a big change. I also have health issues that I need to attend to, but I am here, trying to adapt.

I’m prepared, knowing they could come to take me back at any moment. And I’m ready here for when they come, to go back again. And I will come out again, and the time will come when they have to let me go free. 

How was your experience in the Mariscal Zavala prison, located at a military base in northern Guatemala City? 

Mariscal Zavala was a shock. They took me [in July 2022], with 18 armed men, and put me in a cell without any explanation.

I spent 14 days without sleep, with purple lights, and unable to communicate with my lawyers. During that time, they put insects in my cell that left wounds on my arms and legs. I also got poisoned by an insecticide that I managed to obtain to control the pests. Despite all this, my conditions improved when the new government changed: I was given better conditions, with light, heating, and more dignity.

The prosecutor’s office says it does not pursue you as a journalist but as a business owner. How do you respond to these statements?

For me, it is hard to conceive that José Rubén Zamora is not a journalist, as I have dedicated my entire life to this profession. They persecuted me and tried to imprison me just for doing my job. And when you add that they were seeking sentences for up to 20 years — the same maximum sentence given for crimes like money laundering or extortion — and they show as evidence my opinion columns, the argument that they are after me as a businessman loses all credibility.

Who is behind this, and why are they pursuing you?

What we’ve lived through in Guatemala has been a sinister metamorphosis of our democracy. Every four years, we elect a president who, rather than being a legitimate leader, is a thief, and he governs with the support of high-ranking military structures, organized crime, and monopolies. They’ve always been bothered by the fact that our newspaper did not align with their interests, that we were independent and denounced corruption and drug trafficking, which are part of that system.

Since 2007, a criminal structure has consolidated its power. It’s a web of interests that has taken over the country and is indifferent to the people’s problems. This is a power alliance that, although it has succeeded in persecuting me, has paid a high price. I think it would have been better for them if I had continued with my newspaper because, in the end, exposing their corruption was less damaging than my imprisonment.

​​This is not the first time you’ve found yourself in a dangerous situation because of your reporting. How has this affected you and your family?

My children never gave up. Despite the damage to their lives, they were always relentless. They worked tirelessly for my liberation and didn’t feel ashamed. The youngest one aimed to be an academic, was building a solid career and had to leave with her mother because they were after him. They even sent people to arrest him, but they were able to leave the country first. Now, he’s without a job, without documents, and his future is uncertain. It has been very tough for them and me, but they keep moving forward with strength.

In 2023, the Court of Appeals annulled your sentence on money laundering charges. What does this mean for you legally and personally?

I still don’t know the final impact. I have requested that we return to the hearing for the presentation of evidence, and I hope to present the testimonies of experts and the person who made the transaction with me. Additionally, I trust that the case regarding the travel receipts and the obstruction charge, which I consider ridiculous, will be dismissed at the intermediate hearing. The case has been intentionally delayed, but sooner or later, it will have to be resolved. If that happens, it will allow my wife to return.

What is the current status of the legal cases you are facing?

The trial that will be repeated is the most important, and I hope to present my evidence at that time. For this, the first hearing for the charges of money laundering and extortion is scheduled for September 25, 2025; there, they will set up a second hearing, likely in 2026. The case has no foundation, as the prosecutor’s office is setting up an extortion case, but they have no people to testify against either for that or for money laundering.

At one point, I was offered the possibility of going home if I accepted the charges and apologized to [former president Alejandro] Giammattei, his associate Miguel Martínez, and the press for my “immoralities.” When I refused, they began to create a second case to persecute my wife and my young son with charges of document falsification. The prosecutor’s office claims the signatures were fake, but those travel documents were legally issued by immigration.

Also, all of this happened in a unilateral hearing where I was not informed of the charges nor allowed to defend myself. This case has no evidence, but what the prosecutor’s office does is that every time there is a hearing, the judge is denounced, and the prosecutors do not show up, which leaves the case stalled.

What has the freezing of your accounts and seizure of all assets meant for you? How did the closure of the newspaper impact you?

It was devastating. Before the pandemic, I had no debts, but now I have obligations with the banks that I can’t even cover since my accounts have been frozen for two years. It’s a constant pressure.

Now elPeriódico is closed. How did you experience that process?

It was a solitary process. I witnessed the collapse of everything without being able to do anything. 

I came to believe that no matter who defended me — whether the best lawyer in the world or someone without experience — the result was going to be the same. That acceptance gave me a deep sense of serenity because I understood that I no longer had control over anything. It was a moment where I decided to just go with the flow, let myself be carried by the current, and I even thought that I might spend the rest of my life in prison. 

If it weren’t for organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), who not only helped me get out but also gave me solidarity and support I never expected, I don’t know how I would have been able to continue.

What impact do you think elPeriódico’s closure had on Guatemala and its press?

Guatemala lost one of its most belligerent and irreverent voices. Although the country still has several media outlets, our newspaper stood out for being against abuses of power, state terrorism, impunity, and corruption. We fought for democracy, freedom, and equality of opportunities. We were probably the most uncomfortable and bothersome media for the powerful. 

Despite being small, we knew that we caused significant moral damage to the country’s big thieves, which gave us great satisfaction.

How do you view the current press freedom situation in Guatemala, especially in relation to the journalists who investigate and publish the abuses of power under this government, compared to the previous one?

This president is an exception. He is a decent man, but he lacks control over Congress and the judicial system. The prosecutor’s office is also going after him, and I am sure they will try to remove his immunity to subject him to a legal process.

It’s encouraging to see that many journalists are still working and haven’t given up, even though they face constant risks. The fight for freedom is not philosophical; it is existential. It’s a daily conquest that is achieved by rejecting the abuses of the established power.

Looking ahead, do you see yourself continuing in journalism?

I would like to continue in journalism, but my lawyers have advised me to be cautious. They imprisoned me for two reasons: for traveling too much and because I can influence the media. That’s why, until at least the next two years pass, I must avoid speaking publicly, although it is very difficult for me to stay silent. 

Despite everything, I will always keep fighting. We must maintain our patience, courage, and faith without losing hope. It’s essential to develop the ability to overcome our fears and, whenever possible, break barriers. 

In the end, freedom is the fundamental pillar of democracy.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Dánae Vílchez.

The statement highlights a “deeply troubling trend” of criminalizing and intimidating human rights defenders, including Judge Rodolfo Traheta Córdova, who has been threatened ahead of Friday’s hearing.

Zamora, 67, founder of the now defunct elPeriódico newspaper, was arrested more than 800 days ago and has been waiting for a retrial after his conviction on money laundering charges was overturned in October 2023. Legal experts have said that Zamora’s rights to a fair trial have been violated in what is widely seen as a politically motivated case of arbitrary detention.

Read the full statement here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

“For two years now, José Rubén Zamora has been behind bars in horrific conditions, despite a court order for a retrial,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator. “This disgraceful travesty of justice suggests a breakdown in the country’s rule of law and punitive retaliation against independent journalists. Zamora must be freed immediately.”  

Zamora, 67, remains in pretrial isolation in conditions at Mariscal Zavala military jail in Guatemala City that his lawyers say amount to torture. Their urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment said that this included deprivation of light and water, aggressive and humiliating treatment, unsanitary conditions, and limited access to medical care.

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared his imprisonment to be in violation of international law, and a February report by TrialWatch concluded that there were breaches of both international and regional fair-trial standards, and that Zamora’s prosecution and conviction are likely retaliation for his journalism.

Zamora, president of the now defunct elPeriódico newspaper, received a six-year prison sentence on money laundering charges in June 2023. An appeals court overturned his conviction in October 2023, but numerous delays have prevented the start of the court-ordered retrial.

On May 15, 2024, a Guatemalan court ordered that the journalist be released to house arrest to await trial. However, authorities kept him in jail, as bail applications remained pending in two other cases. On June 26, an appeals court revoked the lower court’s order for his conditional release.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

The appeal, sent to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, says Zamora, age 67, has been deprived of light, water, and sleep, subjected to “sadistic humiliation ceremonies,” unnecessary restraints, and “has been detained in unsanitary conditions that pose a danger to his physical health and well-being.”

“Jose Rubén Zamora’s treatment in prison and pre-trial detention is appalling and constitutes a grave violation of international human rights standards,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s Program Director. “The international community must act urgently to ensure his immediate release.”

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently declared Zamora’s imprisonment arbitrary and in violation of international law. Likewise, a February report from TrialWatch gave a failing grade to Zamora’s legal proceedings, citing numerous breaches of fair-trial standards.

The UN working group asked Guatemalan authorities to report within six months on Zamora’s release status, any compensation or reparations, the results of the investigation into his rights violations, and whether Guatemala enacted legislative amendments or practical changes to align with international obligations.

Zamora, president of elPeriódico newspaper, was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2023 on money laundering charges, but an appeals court overturned his conviction in October 2023 and ordered a retrial. However, numerous delays have prolonged the new trial in 2024.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

“The U.N. Working Group’s acknowledgment of José Rubén Zamora’s arbitrary detention highlights that he has been consistently denied a fair trial, and there is no justification for his ongoing imprisonment,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator, from São Paulo. “Zamora’s prosecution was a retaliatory measure for his investigative reporting on government corruption, and he has faced an abusive judicial process driven by individuals also accused of corruption. His imprisonment has been unjust from the start.”

Zamora, the president of elPeriódico newspaper, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in June 2023 on money laundering charges widely condemned as retaliation for his journalism. An appeals court overturned Zamora’s conviction in October 2023 and ordered a retrial, but numerous delays have been imposed. He has been in detention since his July 2022 arrest.

A February report by the global monitoring group TrialWatch assigned a failing grade to Zamora’s legal proceedings, citing numerous breaches of international and regional fair-trial standards.

Monday’s opinion, endorsed by four international experts from the working group, examined the judicial process and the broader context of Zamora’s case, including prosecutors’ public statements, and recommended that Guatemalan authorities immediately release Zamora and compensate him.

The opinion highlighted the “widespread concern within the international community about the criminalization and prosecution of judges, prosecutors, journalists (including Mr. Zamora’s case), and human rights defenders in the context of the fight against corruption in Guatemala.” This included a pattern of investigating and criminalizing Zamora’s lawyers, the opinion said.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at the Ninth Criminal Court, in the capital Guatemala City, to consider Zamora’s request to be freed under house arrest.

“We urge Guatemala’s judiciary to grant house arrest to José Rubén Zamora after nearly two years in solitary confinement and to give him the chance to prove his innocence in court,” said CPJ Latin America Program Coordinator Cristina Zahar in São Paulo. “His ongoing imprisonment amounts to arbitrary detention and demands immediate action. Zamora must have the right to a fair trial and to practice journalism freely.”

On July 29, 2022, police raided the home of Zamora, founder and publisher of the acclaimed investigative daily newspaper elPeriódico, which was forced to close the following year.

On June 14, 2023, Zamora was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to six years in jail, in a ruling widely regarded as a retaliatory measure for his reporting on government corruption. On October 13, an appeals court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.

Observers have documented severe irregularities in Zamora’s trial, including repeated delays in court proceedings, limited access to evidence, and challenges in maintaining legal representation as his lawyers have been harassed and jailed.

Zamora, 67, remains in pre-trial isolation, which has had detrimental effects on his physical health and well-being. Zamora previously told CPJ that he was subjected to sleep deprivation, which amounts to psychological torture, and that his cell was infested with insects.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly condemns the concerning violations revealed in the fairness report, reiterates the call for authorities to respect Zamora’s right to a fair trial, and urgently calls for international pressure to secure Zamora’s immediate release and hold those responsible for these violations accountable.

“The findings in a report monitoring trial fairness for Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora showed the proceedings were irregular, and he was repeatedly denied his right to defense,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “Zamora was prosecuted in retaliation for his investigative reporting on government corruption and has been subjected to an abusive process from actors who themselves are accused of corruption. He shouldn’t have spent a single minute in jail.”

TrialWatch, a flagship initiative of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, monitors the trials of journalists worldwide, grading their fairness and ranking judicial systems on a global justice index. 

The TrialWatch report meticulously outlines severe irregularities in Zamora’s trial, including limited access to evidence for defense lawyers, challenges in maintaining legal representation, and an erroneous reversal of the burden of proof.

“José Ruben Zamora has been in detention for more than 18 months. Every day, it becomes increasingly urgent for Guatemala’s courts to address the fair trial violations identified in this report,” Stephen Townley, legal director of TrialWatch, told CPJ.

Authorities arrested Zamora, the president of elPeriódico newspaper, on July 29, 2022. Following more than a year of legal proceedings, he was convicted of money laundering in June 2023 and sentenced to six years imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 quetzales (approximately US$38,000). An appeals court overturned Zamora’s conviction in October 2023 and ordered a retrial on the money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling charges.

Zamora is also being prosecuted in another case, accused of obstructing justice alongside eight elPeriódico journalists and columnists. CPJ was unable to confirm Zamora’s next court date for this case.

Zamora is expected in court on February 20, to face another obstruction of justice case based on the same complaint that began the money laundering investigation in 2022.

On May 15, 2023, elPeriódico ceased online publication and closed operations after 26 years due to government pressure.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Zamora, founder of the independent investigative newspaper elPeriódico, was arrested on July 29, 2022, at his home in Guatemala City. He was held in pre-trial detention for nearly a year before being convicted of money laundering and sentenced to six years in prison on June 14, 2023. Zamora’s lawyers, colleagues, and family have also faced ongoing intimidation and harassment. On May 15, 2023, elPeriódico, known for its reporting on alleged official corruption, shut down all publication. 

Zamora’s arrest has been widely criticized by international watchdogs and rights organizations as retaliatory, raising deep concerns about press freedom, the safety of journalists, and the erosion of democracy in the country and the region. His case is an egregious example of how officials have abused Guatemalan laws to censor the press and undermine public accountability.

Speakers will provide an update on Zamora’s wellbeing, his case, and its impact on his family. The press conference will also address the growing challenges faced by journalists in Guatemala in recent years, ongoing advocacy efforts, and the need for governments to support press freedom as an essential pillar of democracy.

WHO:

●                 José Carlos Zamora, son of José Rubén Zamora

●                 Bertha Michelle Mendoza, Guatemalan journalist in exile

●                 Carlos Martínez de la Serna, program director, CPJ

●                 Moderated by: Sara Fischer, senior media reporter, Axios

WHAT:           Press conference ahead of one-year anniversary of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora’s imprisonment

WHEN:           July 26, 2023, 9:30 a.m. EDT

WHERE:         National Press Club (Fourth Estate Room), 529 14^th St NW, Washington, D.C.

RSVP:             Please register here by July 24 to attend.

To arrange an interview, contact press@cpj.org.

###

About the Committee to Protect Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

Media contact: press@cpj.org

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

“The shameful conviction and imprisonment of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora serve as a stark testament to the erosion of freedom of speech in the country and the desperate attempts of President Alejandro Giammattei’s government to criminalize journalism,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “Guatemalan officials must end the absurd charade of criminal proceedings against him. It is time for José Rubén Zamora to be released, for his only ‘crime’ has been the fearless exercise of his profession.”

After more than a year on trial, Zamora, president of the elPeriódico newspaper, was convicted of money laundering and acquitted on blackmail and influence peddling charges. The court sentenced him to a six-year prison term and a fine of 300,000 quetzales (about US$38,000 dollars).

The journalist’s son, José Carlos Zamora, told CPJ that they intend to appeal the conviction.

Zamora has been in pretrial detention since July 29, 2022. Alongside him, eight elPeriódico journalists and columnists are also under investigation for obstructing justice due to their coverage of the legal proceedings. Zamora has also been recently charged with the crime of using false documents.

In April, a judge issued arrest warrants for three lawyers defending Zamora, and in May, elPeriódico ceased online publication and closed operations after 26 years.

“The decision of the elPeriódico newspaper to cease publication is the result of the President Alejandro Giammattei administration’s judicial and financial harassment of the outlet’s founder, José Rubén Zamora, and its journalists for their critical reporting on corruption,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director. “The international community should send a clear message ahead of Guatemala’s upcoming presidential elections by demanding that Giammattei immediately release Zamora.”  

Zamora, who has been in pre-trial detention since July 29, 2022, went to trial on May 2, 2023, on money laundering charges. Zamora and eight elPeriódico journalists and columnists are also under investigation for obstruction of justice based on their coverage of the legal proceedings. In April, a judge ordered the arrest of three lawyers defending Zamora.   

ElPeriódico ended its print edition due to “political and economic pressure” in December 2022, but had continued to publish on its website.

“The closure of elPeriódico after 26 years of doing great journalism is devastating. The simple fact of doing journalism–investigating and denouncing corruption–must not be criminalized,” José Zamora, son of José Rubén Zamora, told CPJ by email. “One hundred [and] sixty-six exceptional professionals have lost their jobs, and 17 million citizens have lost an important source of information to them.”

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Judge Jimi Bremer, acting on a request by prosecutor Cinthya Monterroso of the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office, ordered an investigation Tuesday into journalists and columnists of elPeriódico newspaper as part of a new criminal case against Zamora, according to multiple news reports.

“Guatemalan authorities should immediately stop any investigation into the columnists and employees of elPeriódico and any further prosecution of its president, José Ruben Zamora,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “Authorities’ targeting of the publication’s staff after Zamora’s arrest on dubious financial charges is a clear attempt by the prosecutors to intimidate and harass an investigative outlet and journalists working tirelessly to expose corruption.”

During Tuesday’s initial hearing bringing new charges against Zamora of “conspiracy to obstruct justice,” Monterroso said those she wanted investigated — Zamora’s colleagues Édgar Gutiérrez, Gersón Ortiz, Julia Corado, Gonzalo Marroquín Godoy, Christian Velix, Alexander Valdez, Ronny Ríos, and Denis Aguilar — had obstructed justice by criticizing the prosecutor’s office for its actions against Zamora and not telling the truth about the charges against him.

Zamora has been imprisoned since July 29, 2022.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

“The painful decision by elPeriódico to halt print publication, leaving the future of the outlet’s reporting and its staff in limbo, is an alarming sign of just how sharply conditions for the press have declined in Guatemala,” said CPJ’s Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator, Natalie Southwick. “Guatemalan officials, beginning with President Alejandro Giammattei, must drop the criminal charges against elPeriódico’s staff, put an immediate end to their efforts to stifle investigative journalism, and ensure that independent outlets, including elPeriodico, can continue reporting safely and freely.”

In its statement, the outlet said that it was “forced to abandon our print format” after “120 days of political and economic pressure,” and would continue publishing online.

ElPeriódico’s co-founder and president, José Rúben Zamora, has been in pretrial detention since he was arrested at his home on July 29, as CPJ reported at the time. He faces charges of money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling and is scheduled to appear in court on December 8. On August 19, Guatemalan police arrested the outlet’s financial manager, Flora Silva, after a raid on her home. Silva also remains in pretrial detention.

Zamora, his family, and colleagues have claimed that the case is retaliation for elPeriódico’s reporting on alleged corruption involving Giammattei and Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

Zamora, who founded elPeriódico in 1996 and still serves as president of the newspaper, was arrested on July 29. He remains in pre-trial detention in the Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala City, as prosecutors conduct a criminal investigation on charges of money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling.

Zamora, his family, and his colleagues have claimed that the case is retaliation for elPeriódico’s reporting on alleged corruption involving Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

Zamora’s son, José Zamora, who is also a journalist and currently works at Exile Content Studio, a Spanish-language entertainment and media firm, in Miami, spoke to CPJ in a video interview about his father’s case and the current state of press freedom and democracy in Guatemala.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

In response to CPJ’s request for comment, Juan Luis Pantaleon, a spokesperson for the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office, said in an email that the case against Zamora is “not about any political persecution or any attack” on freedom of expression. CPJ emailed the office of the executive secretary of the presidency but did not receive a reply.

This is not the first time your father has faced harassment from Guatemalan officials.

José Zamora: My father has a career of more than 30 years in journalism, and he was the first journalist to start doing investigative journalism, with his team, in Guatemala. This has led to a series of attacks and harassment and persecution over the years: defamation campaigns, fiscal terrorism, and many others.

For example, they said the newspaper hasn’t been paying taxes for years. They came to audit the newspaper but did not find anything.

Then there were the lawsuits. At one point, there were 195 spurious lawsuits against my father and the outlet, some of them even misusing important laws, like the law against femicide, which is intended to protect women who face abuse from their partners. Several officials sued my father using this law, which is a total aberration.

And then you have the commercial boycott. The government and the president have threatened influential business people and basically prohibited them from advertising in the newspaper.

My father has also been subjected to threats, kidnappings, and bombings. In 2003, there was a kidnapping. They entered my parent’s house — my siblings and I still lived with my parents at the time — and held us hostage for about three hours.

In 2008, they tried again to kill my dad. They kidnapped him coming out of a restaurant, took him away, beat him, injected him with something to kill him, and then left him. Luckily that place was so cold that he got hypothermia. And hypothermia was, in the end, what saved him. Firefighters brought him in, thinking he was a corpse, and when they began to prepare for the autopsy, they realized that he had vital signs [and treated him].

But this imprisonment is totally new. They had been trying to do this for the last year, but it did not happen until now. Several times, different sources warned us that they were fabricating cases against him.

How is your father?

He is in an isolated cell, and in general, he is in good health and in good spirits. He wants to fight and continue doing journalism even while there. At some point, he did have some health problems — his cell was filled with bedbugs, which bit him and gave him an allergic reaction. But now he is generally in good health and is much better.

What was the newspaper publishing before your father was arrested?

President Giammattei has been in power for 130 weeks, more or less, and elPeriódico has published 130 investigations. So there has not been a week without reporting on some act of corruption in his administration.

In the country in general, Giammattei has led a systematic attack on democracy and has persecuted anyone who is considered a critic. The most recent of these systematic attacks on democracy is this persecution of the press. In the case of elPeriódico and my dad, things got worse in November. The newspaper published an investigation titled “La Trama Rusa” (“The Russian Plot”) on how the president made a business deal with a Russian company in which the state of Guatemala granted a concession to develop a mine, and that the president was [allegedly] paid for it. That was the breaking point.

Can you tell us more about your father’s case? What is he accused of?

In Guatemala, legal processes generally take years in terms of investigation and processes. But [the legal case against Zamora] was all set up in 72 hours. It based on a complaint from a “denunciante” [a man Zamora asked to help him but who later informed on the journalist].

My father is accused of money laundering and blackmail. What happened is that a serious businessman gave my dad 300,000 quetzales [US$38,050] to support the newspaper. My father contacted the [man who became the] “denunciante” [to put the money into his business’s bank account] and give him a check from his company. My dad wanted that check deposited into the account of Aldea Global, the company that owns elPeriódico. But when my father goes to deposit the check, [it bounced].

[Editor’s note: According to an interview with Zamora’s lawyer in Central American online outlet El Faro, the reason that Zamora did not deposit the donation directly into Aldea Global’s account, but asked the man who became the “denunciante” to write him a check from his account, was because this triangulation helped him protect the identity of the donor.]

[For] blackmail, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said that the whistleblower believed that my father’s funds had come from blackmailing someone, but there is no proof.

Can you tell us why your father has to spend 90 days in pretrial detention?

The judge gave the Public Prosecutor’s Office the maximum amount of time for the investigation, three months, and ordered [my father to] pretrial detention. My father meets all the requirements to be granted “substitute measures” [similar to parole] and be under house arrest. But they want him there in prison, because they want to humiliate him and make a public example of him. Even when they took him to the hearings, everything was excessive, as if they were taking one of the biggest organized crime bosses.

Everything has been very public, and this is just an example in a series of systematic attacks against democracy and against the press. My dad is an example, but the broader message is for everyone, and that is that they are going to persecute any critical voice.

How are elPeriódico’s journalists working at the moment?

They all believe deeply in their work, its importance for democracy, and in making a better country. So they continue to work, but it’s very challenging when the newsroom’s leader is gone. On the other hand, there is a financial issue. For almost 15 days, they froze the accounts. The journalists did not receive their salaries for almost three weeks. And that demonstrates a lot: not only the journalists’ strength and determination, and conviction because they continued to work in a very tense situation, but also without any income. Little by little, this is getting resolved, but it’s complicated.

What do journalists in Guatemala need in order to do their work freely?

What they need is freedom. A decent state should see the press as an ally. The truth is that they can’t know everything that happens in all state institutions. They should be transparent, but the state is massive. So the state should support and have a decent relationship with the press and allow them to do their job, because it would even allow them to stop corruption.

What do you want now for your father’s case?

The main request is that he should be released. The evidence is weak, and they haven’t been able to prove anything.

The second point: If they are going to detain him, they should grant him substitute measures, and he should be able to wait for the process to take place under house arrest.

And thirdly, they should not persecute the newspaper as a company. In doing so, they have attacked not only press freedom, but also all the journalists and the people who work at elPeriódico. They also went after the financial director Flora Silva and imprisoned her. She is another person who, at minimum, should also be under substitute measures and house arrest.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Dánae Vílchez.

Zamora, who founded elPeriódico in 1996 and still serves as president of the newspaper, was arrested on July 29. He remains in pre-trial detention in the Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala City, as prosecutors conduct a criminal investigation on charges of money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling.

Zamora, his family, and his colleagues have claimed that the case is retaliation for elPeriódico’s reporting on alleged corruption involving Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

Zamora’s son, José Zamora, who is also a journalist and currently works at Exile Content Studio, a Spanish-language entertainment and media firm, in Miami, spoke to CPJ in a video interview about his father’s case and the current state of press freedom and democracy in Guatemala.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

In response to CPJ’s request for comment, Juan Luis Pantaleon, a spokesperson for the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office, said in an email that the case against Zamora is “not about any political persecution or any attack” on freedom of expression. CPJ emailed the office of the executive secretary of the presidency but did not receive a reply.

This is not the first time your father has faced harassment from Guatemalan officials.

José Zamora: My father has a career of more than 30 years in journalism, and he was the first journalist to start doing investigative journalism, with his team, in Guatemala. This has led to a series of attacks and harassment and persecution over the years: defamation campaigns, fiscal terrorism, and many others.

For example, they said the newspaper hasn’t been paying taxes for years. They came to audit the newspaper but did not find anything.

Then there were the lawsuits. At one point, there were 195 spurious lawsuits against my father and the outlet, some of them even misusing important laws, like the law against femicide, which is intended to protect women who face abuse from their partners. Several officials sued my father using this law, which is a total aberration.

And then you have the commercial boycott. The government and the president have threatened influential business people and basically prohibited them from advertising in the newspaper.

My father has also been subjected to threats, kidnappings, and bombings. In 2003, there was a kidnapping. They entered my parent’s house — my siblings and I still lived with my parents at the time — and held us hostage for about three hours.

In 2008, they tried again to kill my dad. They kidnapped him coming out of a restaurant, took him away, beat him, injected him with something to kill him, and then left him. Luckily that place was so cold that he got hypothermia. And hypothermia was, in the end, what saved him. Firefighters brought him in, thinking he was a corpse, and when they began to prepare for the autopsy, they realized that he had vital signs [and treated him].

But this imprisonment is totally new. They had been trying to do this for the last year, but it did not happen until now. Several times, different sources warned us that they were fabricating cases against him.

How is your father?

He is in an isolated cell, and in general, he is in good health and in good spirits. He wants to fight and continue doing journalism even while there. At some point, he did have some health problems — his cell was filled with bedbugs, which bit him and gave him an allergic reaction. But now he is generally in good health and is much better.

What was the newspaper publishing before your father was arrested?

President Giammattei has been in power for 130 weeks, more or less, and elPeriódico has published 130 investigations. So there has not been a week without reporting on some act of corruption in his administration.

In the country in general, Giammattei has led a systematic attack on democracy and has persecuted anyone who is considered a critic. The most recent of these systematic attacks on democracy is this persecution of the press. In the case of elPeriódico and my dad, things got worse in November. The newspaper published an investigation titled “La Trama Rusa” (“The Russian Plot”) on how the president made a business deal with a Russian company in which the state of Guatemala granted a concession to develop a mine, and that the president was [allegedly] paid for it. That was the breaking point.

Can you tell us more about your father’s case? What is he accused of?

In Guatemala, legal processes generally take years in terms of investigation and processes. But [the legal case against Zamora] was all set up in 72 hours. It based on a complaint from a “denunciante” [a man Zamora asked to help him but who later informed on the journalist].

My father is accused of money laundering and blackmail. What happened is that a serious businessman gave my dad 300,000 quetzales [US$38,050] to support the newspaper. My father contacted the [man who became the] “denunciante” [to put the money into his business’s bank account] and give him a check from his company. My dad wanted that check deposited into the account of Aldea Global, the company that owns elPeriódico. But when my father goes to deposit the check, [it bounced].

[Editor’s note: According to an interview with Zamora’s lawyer in Central American online outlet El Faro, the reason that Zamora did not deposit the donation directly into Aldea Global’s account, but asked the man who became the “denunciante” to write him a check from his account, was because this triangulation helped him protect the identity of the donor.]

[For] blackmail, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said that the whistleblower believed that my father’s funds had come from blackmailing someone, but there is no proof.

Can you tell us why your father has to spend 90 days in pretrial detention?

The judge gave the Public Prosecutor’s Office the maximum amount of time for the investigation, three months, and ordered [my father to] pretrial detention. My father meets all the requirements to be granted “substitute measures” [similar to parole] and be under house arrest. But they want him there in prison, because they want to humiliate him and make a public example of him. Even when they took him to the hearings, everything was excessive, as if they were taking one of the biggest organized crime bosses.

Everything has been very public, and this is just an example in a series of systematic attacks against democracy and against the press. My dad is an example, but the broader message is for everyone, and that is that they are going to persecute any critical voice.

How are elPeriódico’s journalists working at the moment?

They all believe deeply in their work, its importance for democracy, and in making a better country. So they continue to work, but it’s very challenging when the newsroom’s leader is gone. On the other hand, there is a financial issue. For almost 15 days, they froze the accounts. The journalists did not receive their salaries for almost three weeks. And that demonstrates a lot: not only the journalists’ strength and determination, and conviction because they continued to work in a very tense situation, but also without any income. Little by little, this is getting resolved, but it’s complicated.

What do journalists in Guatemala need in order to do their work freely?

What they need is freedom. A decent state should see the press as an ally. The truth is that they can’t know everything that happens in all state institutions. They should be transparent, but the state is massive. So the state should support and have a decent relationship with the press and allow them to do their job, because it would even allow them to stop corruption.

What do you want now for your father’s case?

The main request is that he should be released. The evidence is weak, and they haven’t been able to prove anything.

The second point: If they are going to detain him, they should grant him substitute measures, and he should be able to wait for the process to take place under house arrest.

And thirdly, they should not persecute the newspaper as a company. In doing so, they have attacked not only press freedom, but also all the journalists and the people who work at elPeriódico. They also went after the financial director Flora Silva and imprisoned her. She is another person who, at minimum, should also be under substitute measures and house arrest.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Dánae Vílchez.

On August 19, Guatemalan police arrested Silva after a raid on her home, according to a statement by the public prosecutor’s office and news reports. Later that day, Silva was transferred to the San Juan de Dios General Hospital due to high blood pressure, and remains in custody there, according to Ramón Zamora, the outlet’s marketing manager, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app.

Silva was arrested in connection with a criminal investigation into the outlet’s president, José Rubén Zamora, who has been detained since July 29 for alleged money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling, according to those sources. Guatemala’s seventh criminal district court has not set a date for an initial hearing in Silva’s case, Ramón Zamora, who is José Rubén Zamora’s son, told CPJ.

“Guatemalan authorities should immediately release elPeriódico financial manager Flora Silva and José Rubén Zamora, the outlet’s president,” said CPJ Latin America and the Caribbean Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick, in New York. “After raiding Zamora’s home and detaining him on dubious financial charges, authorities are now targeting the outlet’s other staff in the clearest sign yet that prosecutors are trying to intimidate an investigative outlet that has critically reported on corruption.”

Authorities allege that Silva “instructed her staff to prepare paperwork to support a money transaction,” as part of the alleged money laundering scheme “led by Zamora,” according to the prosecutor’s statement.

José Rubén Zamora has claimed that the case against the newspaper is retaliation for its reporting on alleged corruption involving President Alejandro Giammattei and Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

CPJ emailed the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office and contacted Juan Luis Pantaleon, a spokesperson for the office, via messaging app, but did not receive any replies

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

In his decision, Judge Freddy Orellana said there was “reasonable suspicion” that Zamora had been involved in the alleged crimes, and ordered him to remain in detention for the remainder of the investigation, according to news reports. Judge Orellana ordered prosecutors to present evidence by November 9 and set the next hearing in the case for December 8, according to reports.

“The continued detention of José Rubén Zamora is completely unwarranted and shows that Guatemalan prosecutors are scrambling to find any excuse to justify their actions against a journalist who is critical of the government,” said CPJ Latin America and the Caribbean Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick. “Despite what Guatemalan politicians think, reporting on corruption is not a crime. Authorities must immediately drop the charges against Zamora, release him, and stop using the criminal justice system to attack the press.”

Last May, Guatemalan officials filed a criminal suit against three journalists from elPeriódico, including Zamora, under the violence against women law, as CPJ documented. Zamora was awarded CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1995.  

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

“Guatemalan authorities should immediately release and drop any criminal charges against journalist José Rubén Zamora, president of elPeriódico,” said CPJ Advocacy Director Gypsy Guillén Kaiser in New York. “Judicial persecution against journalists is a mechanism of intimidation, and authorities in Guatemala need to put an end to their campaign to intimidate and threaten the press.”

Guatemalan police arrested Zamora on Friday, July 29, and raided the offices of elPeriódico, according to news reports. Zamora was arrested at his home in Guatemala City on charges including possible money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling, according to news reports citing the Guatemalan attorney general’s office.

The publication’s staff denounced the actions as retaliation for its previous reporting on President Alejandro Giammattei, as well as Attorney General Consuelo Porras. 

In a video posted on social media on Saturday, July 30, Zamora says he would begin a hunger strike in protest of his arrest.

Last May, Guatemalan official filed a criminal suit against three journalists from elPeriódico, including Zamora, under the violence against women law, as CPJ documented. Zamora was awarded CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1995.  

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

On May 13, Judge Anaelsee Ramírez formally notified elPeriódico publisher José Rubén Zamora, editor Gerson Ortiz, and reporter Cristian Velix of a restraining order in connection with a criminal lawsuit filed by Dina Bosch Ochoa, a Guatemalan official and the daughter of Dina Ochoa, the president of Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, according to Guatemalan news website Agencia Ocote.

Zamora told CPJ via phone that Bosch Ochoa accused them of “violence against women in the public sphere” after the outlet reported in April that the Guatemalan Electoral Authority renewed her contract for an unspecified position within the agency and covered her alleged links to a corruption case.

The restraining order bars the journalists from approaching the plaintiff or her family members — including Bosch’s mother, a public official – and reporting on them. If convicted of psychological violence against women under the Law Against Femicide, the journalists face five to eight years in prison.

“Guatemalan authorities should immediately drop the criminal charges against Jose Rubén Zamora, Gerson Ortiz, and Cristian Velix, and they must stop allowing officials and those close to them to use laws intended to protect women to intimidate journalists,” said Natalie Southwick, CPJ’s Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator, in New York. “Guatemala’s Law Against Femicide was created to address the country’s high rates of gender-based violence, not to enable powerful individuals to escape criticism or censor the press.”

This is the 17th complaint filed against elPeriódico using the Law Against Femicide, according to a press release on Twitter by elPeriódico. According to the release, Bosch Ochoa initially filed the suit on April 25, but a court specializing in violence against women rejected it and wrote, “there was no personal or working relationship between the complainant and the accused, nor did they work in the same institution.” The Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office then appealed the decision.

CPJ called the Guatemalan judiciary and sent a WhatsApp message to Juan Luis Pantaleón, spokesperson for the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s office, for comment but did not immediately receive a reply. CPJ was unable to identify contact information for Bosch Ochoa or her attorneys.

In July 2018, Sandra Jovel, then Guatemala’s minister of foreign affairs, filed a lawsuit against Zamora for “psychological injury” caused by critical articles in December 2013 under the same law, according to LatAm Journalism Review and as CPJ documented.

In June 2021, two relatives of Miguel Martínez, the former director of the Government Center presidential commission, part of the Guatemalan executive branch, filed a criminal suit against journalists Marvin del Cid and Sonny Figueroa under the same law, CPJ documented at the time.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.