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Guatemala’s Jose Rubén Zamora arbitrarily detained for three years [1]

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Date: 2025-07

July 29 marks 1,095 days since the beginning of the arbitrary detention of journalist Jose Rubén Zamora, founder of elPeriódico and one of the most prominent voices in journalism in Guatemala and Latin America.

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

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[1] Url: https://freedomhouse.org/article/guatemalas-jose-ruben-zamora-arbitrarily-detained-three-years

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