CPJ, Partners Call for Guatemalan Journalist’s Release
By The Committee to Protect Journalists
HAVANA TIMES – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and eight other international organizations call for the immediate and unconditional release of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora and urgent guarantees of due process.
Judge Erick García ordered Zamora’s return to prison on March 10, executing a appeals court order that revoked the journalist’s house arrest. At the hearing, García reported threats and intimidation, raising concerns over judicial independence and press freedom in Guatemala.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled in July 2024 that Zamora’s continued imprisonment violated international law. A TrialWatch report detailed severe due process violations in Zamora’s case, concluding that his prosecution was likely retaliation for his investigative journalism.
Zamora, founder of the now-defunct elPeriódico, was arrested in July 2022 and faces money laundering and obstruction of justice charges that have been widely condemned as politically motivated. His defense has rejected all accusations.
Read the full statement here.