Zamora's Sentence Hits Guatemalan Journalism Just Ahead of General Election [View all]

Friday, June 16, 2023
Nelson Rauda Zablah

A court sentenced award-winning journalist José Ruben Zamora yesterday to six years of prison and a $40,000 fine for a money laundering charge, after a severely irregular process that the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) called “legal and judicial harassment to discourage journalistic investigation.” Former prosecutor Samari Gómez, who was on trial with Zamora, was acquitted of leaking classified information in connection with other two charges against the journalist: influence peddling and blackmail. He was acquitted of those.

Both the defendant and the prosecution said they will appeal the decision.

Yet, the outcome could have been worse. The Attorney General’s Office had asked for a conviction of 40 years against Zamora, something the IAPA called “an act of intimidation against all Guatemalan journalism.“ The trial had already caused the financial ruin and closure of elPeriódico , Guatemala’s most relevant investigative journal, which Zamora founded 26 years ago.

The money laundering trial was officially not a freedom of expression case, but right after the sentence was read, Rafael Curruchiche, head of the Especial Prosecution Against Impunity (FECI) charged against Zamora’s work: “He directed (a newspaper) where they insulted, belittled prosecutors, judges and other officials. The court's decision carries this message,' he said. Then he stammered when a reporter recalled to him that Zamora was not on trial for any crimes against honor.

Zamora’s reasons for appealing the decision have been much more apparent. He prepared a 19-page handwritten statement for his right to the final say. The presiding judge prevented him from reading it, prompted by petitions of the prosecution, but he still managed to sum up how he felt “all of his rights” were violated in the process. 'They rejected all of the evidence I introduced. I went through nine lawyers: four were taken to prison, (and) two more went out of the country. Each knew less about my case than the prior,” Zamora said.

More:
https://elfaro.net/en/202306/centroamerica/26891/zamora-rsquo-s-sentence-hits-guatemalan-journalism-just-ahead-of-general-election