Journalist Jose Ruben Zamora is escorted in handcuffs by police to court for a hearing related to his trial on alleged money laundering and other charges in Guatemala City, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Zamora, founder and publisher of El Periódico which stopped publishing in May, says the allegations are trumped up to silence an independent media outlet that has been critical of governments for decades.
The three-judge panel convicted and sentenced the well-known journalist on a charge of money laundering that affected the national economy and stability of the financial system. The tribunal cleared Zamora of additional charges of blackmail and influence peddling. In his final comments to the court Wednesday before the verdict was announced, Zamora said, “all of my rights were violated,” including the right to a defense. “They treated us like criminals, they destroyed evidence,” he said.
Last month, the Guatemalan Association of Journalists said that at least 20 journalists have been forced to flee the country in recent years.