US EditionA Judge Has Ordered the Release of Jailed Guatemalan Journalist José Rubén Zamora
José Rubén Zamora faces a retrial on money laundering charges criticized as politically motivated, after spending over two years detained and enduring a sentence overturned for legal errors.
- On Thursday, a judge in Guatemala ordered José Rubén Zamora, the 69-year-old founder of El Periódico, returned to house arrest after nearly a year in jail.
- Amid criticism from watchdogs, TrialWatch and international observers say the money-laundering case is likely politically motivated retaliation, while an appeals court overturned the conviction but delays have stalled the retrial.
- After a May 2024 release, Zamora was returned to prison on March 10, 2025, after an appeals court annulled his release following a June 2023 sentence.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed Thursday's ruling and urged Guatemalan authorities to drop all charges, while the U.N. Working Group condemned his detention as violating international law.
- Repeated judicial maneuvers have prompted advocates to warn the case chills investigative reporters in Guatemala, while Bernardo Arévalo, current President of Guatemala, called the prosecution `absolutely spurious` last year.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín regained his freedom this Thursday night, after a criminal judge ordered his release from pretrial detention in one of the criminal proceedings he was facing from the Mariscal Zavala military prison.Initially, Zamora Marroquín had said that he was awaiting the resolution of a second case, but finally Guatemalan justice has allowed him to house arrest, EFE has confirmed.Zamora Marroquín, 69 years …
Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín has regained his freedom, after a criminal judge last night ordered his release from pretrial detention in one of the...
The renowned Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora, former editor of the newspaper ElPeriodic, will leave jail for the second time this Friday after a judge granted him the benefit of house arrest during a court hearing in Guatemala City. Continue reading
CPJ welcomes Guatemalan journalist Jose Rubén Zamora’s release to house arrest, calls for all charges to be dropped
The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Thursday’s court ruling granting house arrest to investigative journalist Jose Rubén Zamora, president of the now defunct elPeriódico, and calls on Guatemalan authorities to immediately drop all charges and end his years-long judicial persecution. “While we are relieved that Jose Rubén Zamora can finally leave prison behind, it is...
A Guatemalan criminal judge granted house arrest for one of three cases facing renowned journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín.
Guatemalan journalist Zamora granted house arrest again
* He was arrested in July 2022 on two charges of alleged money laundering and conspiracy to obstruct justice. * In 2024 he was released on house arrest, but five months later a court ordered his arrest again due to procedural issues and separate cases that undermined the initial decision to release him.
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