Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported Wednesday that journalists in Guatemala continue working in a “hostile” environment due to ongoing “criminalization” cases driven by the Prosecutor’s Office and other forms of aggression, as they assessed President Bernardo Arévalo’s first year in office.
While RSF acknowledged the social democratic leader’s “openness” to the press, including his signing of the Chapultepec Declaration supporting independent journalism last November, they lamented the continuing “harassment” and “judicial corruption” that “perpetuate the hostile environment.”
RSF highlighted the case of journalist José Rubén Zamora, former head of El Periódico newspaper, who has been under prosecution since July 2022 for alleged money laundering and obstruction of justice. He remains under house arrest since October after spending over 800 days in prison.
Between January and July, a journalists’ network documented 34 attacks against media workers, including intimidation, threats, and legal harassment by officials and security forces.
RSF urged the government to quickly implement protection policies for journalists and stop the abuse of the judicial system. While Arévalo accuses Prosecutor General Porras of persecution and planning a “coup d’état” in 2023, the law doesn’t allow him to dismiss her.
