Miami (February 13, 2026) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) welcomes the release of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora, who was deprived of his freedom for more than three years in a process widely criticized for the lack of full due process guarantees and for its retaliatory nature in response to his investigative reporting on corruption and organized crime. The organization views his release as a necessary, though insufficient, step if judicial and political actions continue to threaten free and independent journalism in Guatemala.
Zamora, 69, regained his freedom after more than 1,295 days of arbitrary detention. On February 12, a court ruling granted him house arrest, although he must report to the Public Prosecutor’s Office every 15 days and is prohibited from leaving the country, according to media.
The measure allows Zamora to face from his home two other criminal cases — for alleged money laundering and conspiracy to obstruct justice — brought by the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), according to press reports.
“We welcome this step, but we stress that he should never have been imprisoned. His incarceration was an injustice and a direct attack on press freedom,” the IAPA said on its social media channels upon learning of the news.
IAPA President Pierre Manigault said that “Zamora’s release represents progress in restoring his fundamental rights, but it does not repair the harm caused by a prolonged persecution aimed at silencing a voice that was uncomfortable for those in power.” Manigault, Chairman at Evening Post Publishing Inc., based in Charleston, South Carolina, added that “his imprisonment sent an intimidating message for years to journalists and media outlets investigating corruption and abuses, and it stands as one of the most emblematic cases of the criminalization of journalism in the region.”
For her part, IAPA Press Freedom and Information Committee Chair Martha Ramos said that “no journalist should face criminal prosecution as punishment for investigating and publishing information of public interest.” Ramos, editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), urged Guatemalan authorities “to end all forms of judicial harassment against Zamora, guarantee his safety, and ensure conditions that allow the full exercise of freedom of expression and of the press in the country.”
Zamora, founder and director of the now-defunct newspaper elPeriódico, was arrested on July 29, 2022, on alleged money laundering charges in a case widely viewed by national and international sectors as retaliation for the outlet’s investigations into corruption during the presidency of Alejandro Giammattei and for its coverage of power networks and organized crime.
In 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison. That ruling was later overturned, leading to the order for a new trial. In 2024, he was granted house arrest, a benefit that was revoked months later, resulting in his return to prison in March 2025.
During his imprisonment, Zamora was subjected to serious violations and psychological and physical torture, according to his own testimony to the IAPA. In 2024, an international team of lawyers representing Zamora’s family urged the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture to take urgent measures to protect him and secure his release.
As a result of judicial, political, and economic pressure, elPeriódico was forced to cease operations on May 15, 2023, depriving Guatemalan society of one of its leading investigative journalism outlets.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.
