The Inter American Press Association (IAPA), together with 10 other national and international organizations, sent a letter to Guatemalan government authorities and justice officials calling for appropriate attention to journalists who have been forced into exile.
Information from Prensa Comunitaria.
The following is the letter:
September 2026.* The undersigned organizations, dedicated to defending press freedom and the right to information, welcome with attention the presentation, on August 14, of the report “The Truth About Exile: Ethics, Criminalization, and the Struggle for Justice in Guatemala” (2014–2025) to President Bernardo Arévalo.*
The report makes a significant contribution to understanding the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of the criminalization processes that, over the past decade, have forced numerous people to leave Guatemala. Among them are journalists and media workers who left the country as a result of judicial proceedings, threats, harassment, and other forms of pressure related to the exercise of their profession.
The exile of journalists cannot be understood solely as an individual harm. When a journalist is forced to leave their country for practicing their profession, pluralism, the media, the ability to hold those in power accountable, and society’s right to access information of public interest are also weakened.
We therefore value President Arévalo’s recognition of the need for an institutional response to this situation and his announcement of actions aimed at addressing this phenomenon. These commitments represent an opportunity that must now be translated into concrete actions, within the respective mandates of each state institution.
From Commitments to Guarantees
For the undersigned organizations, a policy aimed at addressing the exile of journalists should encompass at least six dimensions: assistance to people in exile, review of criminalization proceedings, effective conditions for return, guarantees of non-repetition, investigation of attacks, and strengthening institutions responsible for protecting and defending human rights.
In this regard, we urge the Guatemalan authorities to prioritize the following measures:
Establish a specific assistance mechanism for journalists in exile. The inter-institutional mechanism announced by the Executive Branch should include a specific component for journalists and media workers, with the participation of press freedom organizations and directly affected individuals. It should identify obstacles to return, coordinate institutional responses, and provide legal, administrative, and psychosocial support both to those who remain outside the country and to those who decide to return.
Promote an independent and objective review of criminalization proceedings against journalists. The Public Prosecutor’s Office and relevant institutions should establish procedures to review, with full respect for their autonomy and due process, investigations and cases against journalists when there are indications that criminal law may have been used in retaliation for legitimate journalistic activities. Complaints that are manifestly unfounded or incompatible with international standards on freedom of expression and press freedom should receive a prompt response in accordance with the law.
Establish a clear and verifiable pathway for safe return. Return cannot depend solely on a general statement of political will. People in exile need reliable information about their legal situation and mechanisms to assess potential risks in advance. The State should establish support protocols for those who wish to return, including protection measures when necessary and safeguards against new forms of harassment related to their journalistic work.
Adopt guarantees of non-repetition to protect the practice of journalism. The State should strengthen prevention and protection mechanisms against threats and attacks targeting journalists and adopt safeguards against the abusive use of criminal law and other judicial tools to obstruct journalistic investigations. This also requires training justice officials on national and international standards concerning freedom of expression, protection of sources, and journalistic activities.
Strengthen the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes Against Journalists. The Public Prosecutor’s Office must ensure that the Special Prosecutor’s Office has the human, technical, and financial resources necessary to diligently and independently investigate threats, attacks, and other crimes committed against journalists, including digital violence and hate speech. Its investigations should seek to
establish the responsibility of both the material perpetrators and, where appropriate, those who ordered, promoted, or coordinated such attacks, including those that contributed to the displacement or exile of journalists.
Strengthen the capacity of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman to address cases involving journalists. The Office should have specific capacities and resources to receive complaints, support journalists at risk or in exile, and monitor patterns of criminalization and other violations related to the practice of journalism, as well as issue recommendations to the relevant institutions.
Strengthen cooperation with the Inter-American human rights system. The State should review and, where appropriate, strengthen its response to precautionary and provisional measures granted in favor of people in exile and follow up on recommendations issued by the Inter-American system concerning the protection of journalists, prevention of criminalization, and guarantees of non-repetition.
A Shared Responsibility Among State Institutions
The causes that led to the exile of journalists cannot be addressed by a single institution. The Executive Branch is responsible for developing protection, assistance, and support mechanisms; the Public Prosecutor’s Office must ensure objective investigations and refrain from using criminal law to restrict legitimate journalistic activities; the Judiciary must ensure due process and compliance with freedom of expression and press freedom standards; and Congress should promote the necessary legal reforms to strengthen these guarantees.
The presentation of “The Truth About Exile” and the commitments announced by President Arévalo provide an opportunity to begin addressing institutionally one of the most serious consequences of the deterioration of press freedom in Guatemala.
The undersigned organizations reiterate our willingness to contribute to this process and call on Guatemalan institutions to establish, with clear deadlines, responsibilities, and monitoring mechanisms, a policy that ensures that no journalist has to leave Guatemala again as a consequence of legitimately practicing their profession and that those currently in exile can freely decide whether to return, under conditions of safety, dignity, and full respect for their rights.
Signatory Organizations
Asociación por la Democracia y los Derechos Humanos, ASOPODEHU (Honduras)
Asociación de Periodistas de El Salvador, APES (El Salvador)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (Colombia)
Fundación Periodistas Sin Cadenas (Ecuador)
Periodista y Comunicadores Independientes de Nicaragua, PCIN (Nicaragua)
Prensa Comunitaria Km.169 (Guatemala)
Red Latinoamericana de Periodista en el Exilio (RELPEX)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center
Inter American Press Association (IAPA)
