Overview
- Zamora, 69, the founder of the now-defunct elPeriódico, was moved from prison to house arrest as he awaits trial on money laundering charges.
- A Guatemala City judge ordered house arrest without surveillance, barred him from leaving the country, and noted he had already served a sentence for forgery.
- His 2023 six-year sentence was overturned and a retrial ordered, yet delays kept him detained since his July 2022 arrest, including a May 2024 release later annulled in March 2025.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the ruling and called on authorities to drop all charges, warning of a chilling effect on investigative reporting.
- The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention condemned his imprisonment as unlawful, and a TrialWatch report found serious fair-trial breaches and said the prosecution is likely retaliatory.