Committee to protect journalists asks UN to urge Guatemala to release journalist

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York, asked the United Nations on Thursday to urge Guatemala to Release of journalist José Rubén Zamoraknown for his publications on corruption, who will complete two years in prison next week on charges from the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office and without a final conviction.

Following the visit last month of a United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which determined that the detention of journalist José Rubén Zamora It is arbitrary and violates international lawsCPJ said a group of international lawyers made the petition, calling for the journalist’s release, a call they support.

“Zamora, 67, has been deprived of light, water and sleep, subjected to ‘sadistic humiliation ceremonies’ and unnecessary restrictions, and has been detained in unsanitary conditions that pose a danger to his physical health and well-being,” the committee of journalists said in a press release.

The Guatemalan journalist is known for his publications on anti-corruption issues and was president of El Periódico, a morning newspaper he founded that operated for almost 30 years. The outlet closed in May 2023, a month before Zamora was sentenced to six years in prison on money laundering charges.

In October 2023, an appeals court overturned Zamora’s conviction and ordered a new trial due to procedural flaws, but he remains in pretrial detention as he faces two legal proceedings.

In 2024, the new court hearing Zamora’s case granted him house arrest, but a few days later, at the request of the prosecution, a new court said that several procedures had to be carried out before his release.

Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, said in the document sent to the United Nations and distributed to the media that Zamora has received “atrocious” treatment in prison and that this “constitutes a serious violation of international human rights standards.”

“The international community must act urgently to ensure their immediate release,” he urged.

The UN working group also asked Guatemalan authorities to report within six months on the status of Zamora’s release and on “any compensation or reparation.” It also asked them to report on “the results of the investigation into his rights violations and whether Guatemala has enacted legislative amendments or practical changes to align with international obligations.”

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