Guatemala: Arrest of Award-Winning Journalist Sparks Protests, Condemnation From US

Award-winning journalist and newspaper editor Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin was arrested by Guatemala's authorities, who accused him of money laundering.

Guatemala City police seized Zamora Marroquin's phones when he was arrested at his home on Friday night. Zamora Marroquin is a world-renowned journalist who won the King of Spain Journalism Award in 2021.

He is the president and editor of the Guatemalan newspaper El Periodico. According to the Associated Press, Zamora Marroquin was overseeing corruption investigations at the time of his arrest.

Protests and Condemnations Following Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin's Arrest in Guatemala City

Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin's arrest sparked protests from journalists, who gathered on Saturday around the courthouse where his case was to be heard. The arrest also garnered condemnation from various politicians, anti-corruption activists, and civic groups.

Human rights activist Eleonora Muralles was one of the people who denounced his arrest. She said this was an orchestrated plan which does not aim to pursue the corrupt officials but their opponents.

Zamora Marroquin's arrest also drew the attention of several U.S. politicians. One of them was Massachusetts Democrat and U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern.

He released a statement on social media, saying he was "deeply concerned" with the Guatemalan government detaining the world-renowned journalist.

"The judiciary is already decimated, is the Free Press next? Journalism is not a crime!" McGovern noted.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which fights for the freedom of the press worldwide, also condemned the arrest. The group called for Zamora Marroquin's immediate release and stated that his arrest was an act of intimidation.

The CPJ also called on the Guatemalan government to end their "campaign to intimidate and threaten the press." Zamora Marroquin's own publication, El Periodico, reported that the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) has also joined in the condemnation.

They called on Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei to give the journalist due process. During his detention, Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin declared a hunger strike and told the court that he had not eaten or drunk anything in 36 hours.

Guatemala's Corruption Forces Government Critics, Journalists to Flee

Guatemala has been weakening its anti-corruption efforts, with Alejandro Giammattei's government and prosecutors undoing a U.N.-backed anti-corruption campaign that placed various politicians, including former presidents, behind bars.

The eroding of these measures has brought sharp criticism from the United States. The U.S. even canceled the visa for Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who pursued prosecutors conducting corruption investigations against various corrupt officials.

They also placed the country's new special prosecutor against impunity as part of the U.S. list of people suspected of corruption or undermining democracy for obstructing corruption investigations.

The U.S. State Department alleged there was an effort to stack the Supreme and appellate courts with corrupt judges. However, Giammattei dismissed these criticisms.

The crackdown on the critics of the government's efforts to erode these anti-corruption measures have forced many to flee Guatemala.

It used to be that former anti-corruption officials were the only ones who fled. However, the Associated Press reported that with the arrest of Zamora Marroquin, journalists are also doing the same.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Polémica en Guatemala Por Prisión Provisional De José Rubén Zamora - From DW Español