On January 14, Guatemala’s Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) suspended a previous court order that would have required journalist José Rubén Zamora, founder of the newspaper El Periódico, to return to prison from his current house arrest. He was placed on house arrest after spending more than two years in jail for charges related to alleged money laundering.
Human rights organization such as Amnesty International, and Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Arévalo, have stated that Zamora’s case is part of a series of acts of political persecution carried out by the Attorney General’s Office (headed by María Consuelo Porras), which, they claim, is allied with the most recalcitrant right-wing powers in Guatemala. The reality is that the trial against Zamora began after the journalist published a series of reports that revealed alleged acts of corruption by then-president Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024). Zamora’s trial has been branded by many people as a form of punishment and intimidation against investigative journalism.
A win for Zamora against corruption and judicial pressure
The Chamber of Protection and Pre-Trial of the CSJ accepted a writ of protection filed by the journalist’s legal defense, allowing Zamora to continue his sentence at home. Upon leaving the building where his case was being deliberated, Zamora stated “I will continue to comply with the measures imposed, and I will wait at home. I will return to prison if necessary, until justice is done.”
Zamora also stated that he will continue to fight despite an allegedly corrupt judicial apparatus that seeks to silence critical voices: “I continue to declare my innocence. Here or in Mariscal (military prison), I will confront these corrupt judges and prosecutors… Against civilized, decent, honest people, they initiate any political persecution with arbitrary practices and state terrorism… they are the pimps of drug trafficking”.
In this regard, Zamora’s lawyer, Jovita Tzul, told the press that Zamora “remains at home” and that, despite pressure from the Prosecutor’s Office, the 68-year-old journalist would not be forced to return to prison. However, Zamora is still banned from leaving the country and is required to report to the prosecutor’s office every week.
The organization Reporters Without Borders celebrated the decision, posting on X, “Reporters Without Borders celebrates the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice, on January 13, to grant provisional protection to José Rubén Zamora, who will remain under house arrest. It is a fundamental step towards the total and unconditional freedom of the founder of El Periódico.”