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☆ He Exposed Corruption in Guatemala. Now He’s Been Sentenced to Prison.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Emiliano Rodríguez Mega | Jody García | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of Guatemala’s most high-profile journalists was convicted on Wednesday of money laundering and sentenced to up to six years in prison, in a trial denounced by human rights and free speech advocates as another sign of the deteriorating rule of law. The journalist, José Rubén Zamora, was tried on charges of financial wrongdoing that prosecutors say focused on his business dealing, not his journalism. He was acquitted of blackmail and influence peddling, and fined about $40,000. Mr. Zamora was the founder and publisher of elPeriódico, a leading newspaper in Guatemala that regularly investigated government corruption, including accusations involving the current president, Alejandro Giammattei, and the attorney general, María Consuelo Porras. For activists defending press freedom and civil rights in Guatemala, Wednesday’s verdict and sentencing, delivered by a panel of judges, was another blow to the country’s wobbly democratic health, as the government and its allies have taken repeated aim at key institutions and independent news outlets.

Persons: José Rubén Zamora, Zamora, Alejandro Giammattei, María Consuelo Porras Locations: Guatemala

☆ Guatemala Widens Prosecutions Against Former Anticorruption Officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Santiago Pérez | Juan Carlos Rivera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Guatemalan authorities have issued several recent arrest warrants and brought criminal charges against more judges and prosecutors previously given the job of weeding out corruption in Guatemala’s government. The moves have fueled concerns among the U.S. government and rights groups about democratic backsliding in Guatemala. More than 30 Guatemalan anticorruption judges and prosecutors have left the country under threat of arrest over the past two years. The departures occurred amid weakening accountability for corruption, according to Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group.

☆ Guatemalan former president and vice president convicted of fraud, conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

GUATEMALA CITY — A court in Guatemala convicted former President Otto Pérez Molina and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, on fraud and conspiracy counts Wednesday. Johan Ordonez / AFP - Getty Images“It is a lie,” the former president, 72, said during a break in the court proceedings Wednesday. Then President Jimmy Morales ended the CICIG’s mission in 2019 while he was under investigation. Anticorruption efforts have faltered since then and those who worked closely with the international mission have seen the justice system turned against them. Around 30 former anti-corruption officials have fled the country.

☆ Prominent Guatemalan investigative newspaper “El Periódico” halts print edition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

GUATEMALA CITY — The prominent Guatemalan investigative newspaper “El Periódico” announced Wednesday that it is stopping its print edition, after the government arrested the paper’s president. Zamora has overseen dozens of investigations into corruption during his leadership at El Periódico since the paper was founded in 1996. All of the paper’s reporters have been let go, and it is not clear how it can continue with digital editions only. Giammattei has been dismissive of U.S. officials’ criticism of his attorney general and what they see as Guatemala backsliding on battling corruption. His administration has silenced independent press outlets, driving journalists into exile and taking television stations off the air.

☆ Guatemala: Gender-based violence at epidemic levels
▼ + stars: | 2015-04-02 | by ( Julie Guinan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CARE/Josh EsteyA 2012 Small Arms Survey says gender-based violence is at epidemic levels in Guatemala and the country ranks third in the killings of women worldwide. The taboo topic of gender-based violence is also being acknowledged and recognized in a popular program targeting one of Guatemala’s most vulnerable groups, indigenous Mayan girls. If approved, it would make reducing levels of gender-based violence a U.S. foreign policy priority. Adelma Cifuentes shares her story to empower women and bring about awareness of Guatemala's history of gender-based violence. While there is tempered optimism and hope for change, the problem of gender-based violence in Guatemala is one that needs international attention and immediate action.

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