Father Arrested Unjustly and Convicted for Denouncing Government Corruption – Global Issues
Dec 17 (IPS) – CIVICUS talks to Ramón Zamora, son of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora, about the limits of press freedom and the challenges of protecting human rights in Guatemala.
Rubén Zamora is part of the CIVICUS Stand as My Witness campaign, which calls for the release of human rights defenders who were unjustly imprisoned. This veteran journalist, the founder of Periódico Siglo 21 and famous for his investigations into corruption, has been fighting baseless allegations of money laundering for two years. His legal situation took a turn for the worse recently when a court ordered him to be sent back to prison after being placed on house arrest for a while. As his family prepared to file an appeal, President Bernardo Arévalo criticized the court’s decision as an attack on freedom of expression.
What was your father’s role in Guatemalan journalism and what led him to clash with powerful forces?
My father comes from a family of journalists. His grandfather, Clemente Marroquín, was the founder of La Hora, one of the most important newspapers in Guatemala’s history. In 1990, my father founded the newspaper Siglo 21. The transition to democracy was continuing and he understood that democracy could not work without real freedom of speech, that is, when people could express their opinions without fear. That is why it was important to have a media center that, in addition to providing information, also had a voice.
Siglo 21 has opened up spaces for leftist thinking, which has received threats and attacks from sources connected to the military. In addition, from the very beginning it dealt with serious issues, which soon put it in the crosshairs of many powerful figures. Threats and attacks on his corruption investigation soon followed. In 1993, after the coup d’état of then President Jorge Serrano Elías, which suspended the constitution and dissolved Congress, the presidential security service came looking for the father and the family was forced into hiding. However, my father continued to fight, publishing the banned edition of Siglo 21, which was censored, and sharing the information with the international media.
After leaving Siglo 21, he founded El Periódico in 1996 and Nuestro Diario in 1998, both with the aim of continuing to investigate corruption. His investigation led to the arrest of several powerful people. Over the years he was treated unfairly, attempted murder and kidnapping, but he continued his work, until 2022, when he was unjustly arrested and sentenced to revenge for exposing corruption in the government of Alejandro Giammattei.
What crimes put your father in prison?
He was accused of money laundering, extortion and selling. It is said that he used this newspaper and his access to confidential information to defraud businessmen and government officials. According to the government officials, the father threatened that he will publish the news in the newspaper if they do not follow his demands, it is suspected that he was taking the money of these criminals from this newspaper.
To understand the reasons for his arrest, we need to consider the wider context of the attack on the newspaper. Since 2013, the newspaper has been facing economic pressure and threats from government officials, such as former Vice President Roxana Baldetti, who called our customers threatening an investigation if they continue to support the newspaper with advertising. This cut the paper’s income by more than half. To cope with the pressure, my father eventually started accepting donations from people who wanted to remain anonymous. This is one of the reasons why he was accused of smuggling an undisclosed amount of money. My father was charged with defending freedom of speech and criticizing corruption.
How did your father deal with these years of unjust imprisonment?
At first it was very difficult because he was locked up in a military prison, in a very small cell, completely separated from other prisoners. In this prison, there are people who were sentenced for corruption because of the report he published that put him in great danger. Soon he started receiving constant threats.
In the first few days, his cell was searched several times, and bed bugs got into his bed, severely injuring him all over. He couldn’t even sleep because of the constant noise, as construction continued near his cell. It was all very stressful, physically and emotionally. There were times when he thought he wouldn’t make it out alive. To make matters worse, we were often denied permission to enter the prison or given ridiculous excuses, which kept him in constant uncertainty.
He also suffered a lot during the court proceedings. There was one judge who came out and tried to stop him from getting a proper defense. We had to change lawyers several times and many of them were prosecuted for protecting my father.
My brother and I worked to keep the newspaper running, even though many journalists were forced into exile. A few months ago we were able to get my father released to house arrest, but his case continued to be full of wrongdoings and a month later the house arrest benefit was removed. We’re still waiting for the appeals court to review the decision, but he could be back in jail this week or next. My father is still fighting for his freedom and a fair trial to prove his innocence.
How can the international community help?
The international community has played a very important role throughout this process. We were able to get my father out of prison in large part due to the pressure of organizations such as Amnesty International, CIVICUS, Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and others who spoke together.
As a family, we have always felt supported. We are now awaiting the resolution of the amparo decision – a request to protect constitutional rights, which would allow the father to continue his struggle at home. This would be good, although we are still waiting for a final decision.
The international community must continue to protect human rights and freedom of expression and support the media, especially in countries where corruption and impunity are rampant.
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Look again
Guatemala: ‘Corrupt officials see defenders of justice as a threat to their interests and try to silence them’ Interview with Virginia Laparra 30.Aug.2024
Guatemala: ‘Ignoring the will of the people expressed at the ballot box is the greatest insult to democracy’ Interview with Jorge Santos 13.Jan.2023
Guatemala: ‘Our democracy is at risk of political and criminal organizations’ Interview with Evelyn Recinos Contreras 04.Jul.2023
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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