In brief
After spending more than two years in a cramped cell, journalist José Rubén Zamora has been moved to house arrest while awaiting a potential new trial. His case underscores the growing threats to press freedom in Guatemala and Latin America.
Following over 810 days in a confined prison cell, José Rubén Zamora, the prominent founder and publisher of elPeriódico, is set to transition to house arrest this weekend. The judge's ruling allows him to await further trial developments in a less restrictive environment, citing his prolonged detention without trial and low flight risk. Zamora, whose reporting has been crucial in exposing government corruption in Guatemala, has persisted in claiming that the charges of money laundering that led to his six-year prison sentence were politically motivated and retaliation against his investigative journalism. As part of the conditions for his house arrest, he will have to regularly report to authorities and remain confined to his residence. His trial has been criticized for its significant irregularities, serving as a stark indicator of the erosion of democratic practices and freedom of the press under the government of former President Alejandro Giammattei.
