Guatemala: RSF condemns court decision to reimprison journalist Jose Rubén Zamora and calls for an urgent ruling on his constitutional appeal
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by the decision on 10 March 2025 to enforce the court ruling ordering the return of journalist Jose Rubén Zamora to prison. The elPeriódico founder had been granted conditional release after more than 800 days in pretrial detention. However, the Third Court of Appeals revoked this measure and ordered his return to prison without any substantial legal justification. His defense immediately filed a constitutional appeal, which RSF urges the court to review as a matter of urgency. Jose Rubén Zamora must be freed.
Jose Rubén Zamora is expected to be sent back to prison following the 10 March hearing. This hearing was held to enforce a 4 March ruling by the Third Court of Appeals, which overturned the conditional release granted in October 2024 by Judge Erick García. The same judge was forced to uphold the appellate court’s ruling: he publicly stated that he was doing so against his convictions and revealed that he and his team had received threats from unidentified individuals.
"In yet another blatant case of judicial weaponisation, Jose Rubén Zamora’s reimprisonment was enforced today by order of an appellate court, despite the reluctance of the judge overseeing the case — revealing an alarming climate of intimidation. RSF calls on the Guatemalan judiciary to respect the right to a fair trial and to end the abuse of the legal system to silence journalists. We also urge the Supreme Court of Justice to immediately rule on the constitutional appeal filed by Zamora’s defense team. The international community must continue pressuring Guatemala to guarantee press freedom and the rule of law.
This decision comes as attacks on press freedom continue to escalate in Guatemala, despite the new government under President Bernardo Arévalo, who has publicly pledged to uphold fundamental rights.
