GUATEMALA CITY, June 14 (Reuters) - A Guatemalan court on Wednesday sentenced Jose Zamora, a well-known journalist whose work has criticized successive governments, to six years in prison for money laundering in a case rights groups have branded an attack on free speech.
Zamora was also issued a 300,000 quetzal ($38,339) fine, the court said.
He was arrested in July last year during a crackdown on prosecutors, judges, human rights activists, journalists and opposition officials.
According to the attorney general's office, Zamora allegedly received $38,461 to finance his media outlet, which was not regularly deposited into the banking system.
The rights group is "very concerned" that Guatemala's prosecutors' office is investigating journalists and columnists from elPeriodico who covered Zamora's case, Goebertus added.
Persons:
Jose Zamora, Zamora, Alejandro Giammattei, Juanita Goebertus, Goebertus, Sofia Menchu, Sarah Morland, Brendan O'Boyle, Bill Berkrot
Organizations:
GUATEMALA CITY, elPeriodico, Rights, Thomson
Locations:
GUATEMALA, Zamora's, Guatemala, Americas