Guatemalan journalist and IPI World Press Freedom Hero José Rubén Zamora, head of the now-shuttered elPeriódico newspaper, has been convicted on charges of money laundering and sentenced to six years in prison. The IPI global press freedom network strongly condemns this verdict as a serious attack on press freedom and calls on Guatemala and states around the world to cease the use of “lawfare” against the press. Zamora has said he will appeal the verdict, and hopes to bring the case to the Inter American Court of Human Rights.

Zamora was arrested at his home on July 29, 2022 in Guatemala City on charges including alleged money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling. The headquarters of elPeriódico was also raided by police. While Guatemalan authorities maintain that Zamora’s detention does not relate to his journalistic work, the charges are widely considered to be politically motivated. In addition to the six-year sentence, Zamora was also fined 300,000 quetzal, or over $38,000. The court acquitted him on the additional charges of blackmail and influence peddling.

“IPI strongly condemns the sentencing of José Rubén Zamora on trumped-up charges”, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen said. “This conviction marks a serious escalation of the Guatemalan government’s campaign against the free press and is another blow to Guatemalan democracy. The IPI global network calls on the Guatemalan government to immediately release IPI World Press Freedom Hero José Rubén Zamora and cease its abuse of the law to harass and silence its critics.”

The Association of Guatemalan Journalists has said that the harassment of elPeriódico and Zamora is part of a government campaign of prosecution, criminalization and censorship against dissenting media outlets and journalists.

“I am innocent of the crimes,” Zamora said after his sentencing. “I continue being innocent and he [Guatemalan President Giammattei] continues being a thief.”

During his trial in May, Zamora told reporters that he was a “political prisoner,” and emphasized his lack of confidence in the court, as he expected to be found guilty. His son, fellow journalist José Zamora, shared similar thoughts with Democracy Now, saying, “Not only was his case fabricated, but he has been made to go through a process that has been an absolute total violation of due process.”

Zamora is the director and founder of the independent newspaper elPeriódico, which is known for its critical coverage of the government. In the first 144 weeks under the leadership of current president Alejandro Giammattei, the outlet published 144 investigations into corruption in his administration. The outlet moved to online-only after Zamora’s arrest, and on May 15, 2023, closed down entirely after its bank accounts were frozen. Eight of its journalists are currently under investigation in connection to their coverage of the case against Zamora.

This is not the first time that Zamora has dealt with attempts to silence his journalistic work. Throughout his career, he has received a number of death threats, been held hostage, was kidnapped and beaten and even survived several assassination attempts. Under the Giammattei administration, journalists in Guatemala have faced an increasingly hostile media environment, as government officials continue to crackdown on media and activist organizations investigating corruption.

Zamora’s conviction is part of a wider democratic backslide in Central America, including growing attacks on the independent press. Earlier this year, El Faro, El Salvador’s leading independent news site, announced it was moving its operational base to Costa Rica following repeated attacks by the country’s government, including legal harassment and Pegasus surveillance. Costa Rica is already home to numerous exiled journalists from Nicaragua fleeing the Ortega dictatorship’s crackdown on its critics.