Global Courant 2023-04-30 19:00:25
Guatemalan journalist Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín, main critic of the government headed by Alejandro Giammattei, served nine months in pretrial detention yesterday, and next week the trial against him for alleged money laundering will begin.
Zamora Marroquín, 67, has been held in the Mariscal Zavala military barracks prison since July 29, 2022.
On May 3, the debate against the journalist will begin for an accusation of alleged money laundering presented by the Public Ministry (MP) of Guatemala.
The journalist will defend himself in the trial since his last two lawyers, Juan Solorzano Foppa and Justino Brito, resigned, pointing out anomalies in the process. Subsequently, both were arrested by the Prosecutor’s Office for an alleged “obstruction of criminal proceedings.”
This week, the Inter-American Press Association (SIP), through a report, warned that freedom of expression in Guatemala has been “degraded” due to the actions taken by the Prosecutor’s Office in the case of Zamora Marroquín and his right to defend himself. of the accusations.
The communicator, with more than 30 years of journalistic experience, was arrested at his home last year, just five days after publishing strong criticism of President Giammattei for irregular acts by his administration.
Zamora Marroquín’s family assures that their media outlet, elPeriódico, had published more than 145 investigations into acts of corruption by the Giammattei government prior to his arrest.
During the 9 months of his detention, the morning newspaper founded and chaired by Zamora Marroquín was forced to discontinue its physical version. In addition, he entered a financial crisis and laid off more than 50% of his journalistic and administrative staff.
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El Periódico, founded by Zamora Marroquín in the 1990s, received the award for “Outstanding Ibero-American Media” in 2021, given by King Felipe VI of Spain to the Guatemalan journalist.
