Journalist José Rubén Zamora, president of the newspaper El Periodico, arrives handcuffed and under police escort a court in Guatemala City, on June 14, 2023. (AFP/Johan Ozdonez)
On Wednesday, a Guatemala court convicted José Rubén Zamora, president of the elPeriódico newspaper, on money laundering charges and sentenced him to six years in prison.
The journalist’s son, Jose Carlos Zamora, told CPJ that they intend to appeal the conviction.
“The shameful conviction and imprisonment of Guatemalan journalist Jose 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 Ruben Zamora to be released, for his only ‘crime’ has been the fearless exercise of his profession.”
Zamora has also been recently charged with the crime of using false documents. He 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.