Guatemala: President Arévalo promises RSF he will do everything possible to free Zamora
On the two-year mark of the arbitrary detention of Jose Rubén Zamora, founder of the newspaper elPeriódico, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Zamora’s son met with the President Bernardo Arévalo in Palacio Verde. He reinforced his commitment to using his full power to ensure Zamora's release.
On 29 July, to mark the second anniversary of Jose Rubén Zamora’s unjust and arbitrary detention, RSF representative traveled to Guatemala to meet with and advocate for the wrongfully imprisoned journalist. After visiting Zamora in the Mariscal Zavala prison, Artur Romeu, director of RSF’s Latin America Desk, and Zamora’s son, Jose Carlos Zamora, were received by President Bernardo Arévalo on 30 July at the Palacio Verde, the president’s headquarters, in Guatemala City, the capital. During the meeting, RSF once again called for Zamora’s urgent release, highlighting the successive postponements of his trial hearings, the medical evidence indicating that Zamora endured torture and inhumane treatment in prison, and the United Nations’ recent confirmation of the arbitrary nature of Zamora’s detention.
The president acknowledged the arbitrary nature of the journalist's detention and that his imprisonment was due to a sham trial. President Arévalo insisted the government was not sitting on its hands, and that he is doing everything to guarantee Zamora's well-being in prison. Once again, Arévalo pledged to do everything possible to free Zamora, given the limits of Guatemala’s executive branch in a case determined by the judiciary system.
“RSF and President Arévalo discussed what actions the government can take in alignment with the stance of international bodies, such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations, on Zamora’s case — and the importance of using these stances to move the case forward. We expect the government to stay true to its word, and to use all the instruments at its disposal to find a swift and effective solution that will enable Jose Rubén Zamora to be freed at last.
Zamora’s son, Jose Carlos, reminded the president that, despite international pressure, there have been multiple inexplicable postponements of the trials against Zamora. This is the first time that Jose Carlos Zamora has returned to Guatemala since the persecution of his family and his father’s newspaper, elPeriódico, which was forced to close its doors for good in May 2023. His father won RSF’s 2023 Prize for Independence for his continued investigations into corruption despite judicial harassment.
Together with Romeu, he visited his father in prison hours before meeting President Bernardo Arévalo. They found Zamora in good health, willing to continue fighting for his innocence, but indignant at the course of the legal proceedings.
