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October 09, 2025 – Guatemala –
Veteran journalist José Rubén Zamora, detained in Guatemala since 2022 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated, has expressed deep concern that he may be killed while incarcerated—despite being under state custody. The warning came through the advocacy arm of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which relayed Zamora’s fears to AFP.
At 69 years old, Zamora is the founder of the now-defunct newspaper El Periódico. He has been held for more than 1,100 days, accused of money laundering and other charges that many press freedom groups still dispute as judicial harassment designed to silence dissenting journalism. RSF’s Latin America coordinator, Bia Barbosa, stated that Zamora sees himself as vulnerable even under state protection—and that the risk is real.
The charges against Zamora stem from his decades-long work investigating corruption, including within government institutions. Over time, El Periódico became a persistent critic of official misconduct—making Zamora a target in a broader clampdown on independent media. Despite earlier rulings overturning a conviction against him, multiple cases remain open, and authorities maintain restrictive detention measures.
Human rights advocates have long flagged systemic irregularities in the legal proceedings: delayed hearings, limited access to defense, and prosecutorial overreach. In 2025, after his conviction was vacated on procedural grounds, a court briefly granted him house arrest—but prosecutors successfully challenged it, returning him to prison.
Zamora’s case is emblematic of a broader decline in press freedom in Guatemala, where judicial tools have increasingly been used to stifle investigative journalism and intimidate critics. His fear for personal safety adds urgency to calls from international organizations demanding transparency and safeguards. Whether the Guatemalan state will act to protect a journalist who has committed his life to exposing wrongdoing remains uncertain—but his warnings underscore how fraught the terrain has become for media in repressive environments.
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