OPINION

Journalism on trial in Guatemala

Oped, Christophe Deloire & Jose C Zamora, Published on 01/08/2023

» July 29 marks the first anniversary of the arrest of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora. As the founder and editor of the newspaper elPeriódico, Zamora spent decades uncovering political corruption before being arrested on fabricated money-laundering charges. In June, he was handed a six-year prison sentence, but the prosecution, insisting on a 40-year term, is expected to appeal. The harsher punishment, prosecutors say, would compensate those whose "name and reputation" have been tarnished by Zamora and his publication. Their real goal is to deter other journalists from following in Zamora's footsteps.