Guatemalan Judge Orders Journalist Zamora to House Arrest

A Guatemalan judge ordered prominent journalist José Rubén Zamora returned to house arrest on Thursday, allowing the 69-year-old founder of the now-defunct El Periódico newspaper to leave prison after nearly a year in his most recent incarceration. The decision comes amid ongoing legal proceedings stemming from money laundering and conspiracy charges that have kept Zamora detained in various forms since July 2022.

Zamora's case has drawn international attention for its implications on press freedom in Guatemala. He was initially arrested in July 2022 on allegations of money laundering involving approximately $38,000 and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Prosecutors accused him of receiving illicit funds from a local businessman, which Zamora has denied. In June 2023, a court sentenced him to six years in prison, but an appeals court overturned the conviction later that year, citing procedural errors in the trial process.

The journalist spent more than two years in jail awaiting further proceedings before a judge granted him house arrest in October 2024. Prosecutors quickly appealed the ruling, and in March 2025, higher courts sided with them, ordering Zamora back to full...