Zürcher Nachrichten - Journalist says his detention removed Guatemala's 'mask of democracy'

EUR -
AED 3.834305
AFN 70.98687
ALL 97.554921
AMD 407.276164
ANG 1.881775
AOA 952.057564
ARS 1050.919957
AUD 1.616743
AWG 1.879062
AZN 1.774051
BAM 1.948628
BBD 2.108141
BDT 124.770808
BGN 1.954431
BHD 0.393522
BIF 3023.20119
BMD 1.043923
BND 1.407049
BOB 7.241626
BRL 6.05308
BSD 1.044157
BTN 88.028118
BWP 14.264051
BYN 3.416925
BYR 20460.892032
BZD 2.104694
CAD 1.475304
CDF 2996.059619
CHF 0.927849
CLF 0.036932
CLP 1019.08511
CNY 7.557742
CNH 7.587447
COP 4577.34165
CRC 532.141566
CUC 1.043923
CUP 27.663961
CVE 110.081958
CZK 25.302818
DJF 185.526257
DKK 7.459389
DOP 63.05541
DZD 139.534968
EGP 51.795229
ERN 15.658846
ETB 128.871943
FJD 2.383433
FKP 0.823986
GBP 0.833312
GEL 2.850171
GGP 0.823986
GHS 16.381352
GIP 0.823986
GMD 74.118765
GNF 9009.056258
GTQ 8.062328
GYD 218.454396
HKD 8.124775
HNL 26.332988
HRK 7.446574
HTG 137.045633
HUF 409.823057
IDR 16578.124592
ILS 3.803586
IMP 0.823986
INR 88.008299
IQD 1368.061174
IRR 43936.102444
ISK 145.073671
JEP 0.823986
JMD 165.710139
JOD 0.740559
JPY 161.116967
KES 135.188684
KGS 90.601454
KHR 4227.888832
KMF 489.547318
KPW 939.530361
KRW 1469.525299
KWD 0.321299
KYD 0.870131
KZT 521.371204
LAK 22929.769842
LBP 93483.310037
LKR 303.831812
LRD 187.723485
LSL 18.832063
LTL 3.082433
LVL 0.631459
LYD 5.110026
MAD 10.474199
MDL 19.087484
MGA 4884.515948
MKD 61.49218
MMK 3390.621387
MNT 3547.250512
MOP 8.367625
MRU 41.668174
MUR 48.771754
MVR 16.128446
MWK 1812.250306
MXN 21.567712
MYR 4.662682
MZN 66.703187
NAD 18.832419
NGN 1757.05801
NIO 38.374893
NOK 11.640541
NPR 140.845347
NZD 1.797933
OMR 0.401896
PAB 1.044177
PEN 3.964829
PGK 4.144439
PHP 61.595113
PKR 290.158659
PLN 4.309318
PYG 8135.060637
QAR 3.800511
RON 4.977005
RSD 116.964264
RUB 108.588838
RWF 1431.218519
SAR 3.920319
SBD 8.759131
SCR 14.201375
SDG 627.91969
SEK 11.562251
SGD 1.409792
SHP 0.823986
SLE 23.684764
SLL 21890.549611
SOS 596.60465
SRD 37.052985
STD 21607.099729
SVC 9.136376
SYP 2622.887865
SZL 18.832093
THB 36.264319
TJS 11.130563
TMT 3.66417
TND 3.310798
TOP 2.444973
TRY 36.131874
TTD 7.092035
TWD 33.783959
TZS 2766.396264
UAH 43.331029
UGX 3868.761844
USD 1.043923
UYU 44.506204
UZS 13393.532701
VES 48.623811
VND 26536.524258
VUV 123.936644
WST 2.914206
XAF 653.564217
XAG 0.034693
XAU 0.0004
XCD 2.821254
XDR 0.798661
XOF 655.068644
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.902418
ZAR 18.930709
ZMK 9396.565061
ZMW 28.79214
ZWL 336.1428
  • RBGPF

    0.8100

    61

    +1.33%

  • RELX

    -0.1800

    46.57

    -0.39%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0300

    6.77

    -0.44%

  • SCS

    0.4500

    13.72

    +3.28%

  • NGG

    0.1500

    63.26

    +0.24%

  • AZN

    0.7700

    66.4

    +1.16%

  • CMSC

    0.0578

    24.73

    +0.23%

  • GSK

    0.1900

    34.15

    +0.56%

  • BTI

    -0.0500

    37.33

    -0.13%

  • RIO

    0.6300

    62.98

    +1%

  • BCE

    0.2500

    27.02

    +0.93%

  • BCC

    8.7200

    152.5

    +5.72%

  • JRI

    0.1600

    13.37

    +1.2%

  • BP

    -0.4000

    29.32

    -1.36%

  • VOD

    0.1800

    8.91

    +2.02%

  • CMSD

    0.1200

    24.58

    +0.49%

Journalist says his detention removed Guatemala's 'mask of democracy'
Journalist says his detention removed Guatemala's 'mask of democracy' / Photo: JOHAN ORDONEZ - AFP

Journalist says his detention removed Guatemala's 'mask of democracy'

A prominent Guatemalan journalist and corruption critic, declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, says that his time in prison allowed him to strip away his country's "mask of democracy."

Text size:

Jose Ruben Zamora was arrested in July 2022 after his now-shuttered newspaper reported on graft allegations involving the government of former right-wing president Alejandro Giammattei.

The 68-year-old spent more than 800 days behind bars, accused of money laundering and blackmail, before he was freed from prison on October 19.

Today he remains under house arrest awaiting a retrial, and faces another accusation from prosecutors of obstruction of justice.

"You had a klepto-narco dictatorship disguised as a democracy, with an international community eager to feel that it had done enough for Guatemala," Zamora told AFP in an interview in the courtyard of his home.

"They wanted to see it as a country with democracy, elections, freedom," he said.

"I had more impact in two years in prison than in 30 years of journalism, because we stripped away the mask of democracy," he added.

- 'Sinister metamorphosis' -

A court allowed the journalist to be moved to house arrest "for human rights reasons," saying that "the extent of the prison sentence has exceeded the limits."

Zamora's sentencing in June 2023 to six years in prison for money laundering was overturned and he is awaiting another trial.

After his arrest, his wife and three children left Guatemala and went to the United States, fearing the same fate.

Zamora said that democracy in Guatemala and other Latin American countries "underwent a sinister metamorphosis."

"Once every four years we elected a thieving president who co-governs... with state contractors, with state unions, with organized crime, with political and economic monopolies and oligopolies."

He blames his ordeal on Giammattei, who was accused by rights groups of overseeing a crackdown on anti-graft prosecutors and journalists during his term, which ended in January.

"Ignorance is very dangerous and ignorance with power is extremely dangerous," Zamora said.

Giammattei was replaced by President Bernardo Arevalo, an underdog anti-corruption campaigner who overcame attempts by the political establishment to block his inauguration.

Zamora said that he never felt ashamed of being in prison.

"I learned to live with humility, with patience, with faith. They didn't hurt me. I regret the time I missed seeing my children and my grandchildren and my wife, but I felt free inside," he said.

"I didn't feel ashamed. I always felt proud."

X.Blaser--NZN