Journalist and Government Critic José Rubén Zamora Sentenced to Six Years of Prison in Guatemala

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Issue Jun 14-20 2023: On June 14, 2023, a Guatemalan court handed down a 6-year prison sentence to José Rubén Zamora, founder of El Periódico, a newspaper critical of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. El Periódico went out of business on May 15 after 27 years of publication. Known as one of the founding fathers of journalism in Central America, Zamora was convicted of alleged money laundering, though observers widely characterized his trial as part of the “war” that Giammattei launched against his critics. Zamora’s conviction was called the triumph of corruption and the degradation of freedom of expression in Guatemala.

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