Closing of El Periódico in Guatemala is announced, amid legal proceedings against José Rubén Zamora, founder and president

( Spanish) –– El Periódico de Guatemala announced this Friday that it will stop publishing its daily digital edition as of Monday, as a result of the legal problems faced by its founder and president José Rubén Zamora, arrested on July 29, 2022 and accused of money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling.

The businessman and journalist has denied the charges at trial and considers himself a political prisoner.

In a statement, El Periódico says that four of its lawyers have been arrested, of which two remain in pretrial detention for alleged obstruction of justice. Also, that six journalists and three columnists are being investigated by the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI).

Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche told on May 2 that the investigations against him were continuing as a result of inaccurate publications, in which, in the opinion of the FECI, they put witnesses in the case at risk.

El Periódico maintains that these actions are reprisals and constitute an attempt to censor the complaints that the newspaper has filed against the Guatemalan government. The newspaper has been one of the most critical of the current government and has published alleged cases of corruption.

For their part, the authorities say that Zamora is suspected of being involved in the three alleged crimes for which he has been brought to trial.

has asked prosecutors for more information, but has not yet received a response.