Human rights groups and U.S. join international outcry over Guatemalan journalist's arrest
Human rights groups and the U.S. are among those calling for the release of José Rubén Zamora, a prominent newspaper editor in Guatemala.
International human rights groups, organizations that advocate freedom of the press and countries including the United States have strongly condemned the arrest of a prominent journalist and editor in Guatemala and called for his immediate release.
José Rubén Zamora, founder and president of the newspaper elPeriódico and a vocal government critic, was arrested at his home on Friday night, on various charges, including money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling, according to Rafael Curruchiche, head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), which announced the arrest on social media. Police raided Zamora's home and office earlier on Friday.
Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, advocacy director for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York City, said in a statement: “Guatemalan authorities should immediately release and drop any criminal charges against journalist José Rubén Zamora, president of elPeriódico."
“Judicial persecution against journalists is a mechanism of intimidation, and authorities in Guatemala need to put an end to their campaign to intimidate and threaten the press," Guillén Kaiser stated.
Zamora’s journalistic career has been recognized with multiple distinctions, including the María Moors Cabot Award from Columbia University and the International Press Freedom Award, both in 1995, as well as the World Press Freedom Hero award given by the International Press Institute in 2000.
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