DistantNews
Support us
Guatemala: Prosecutors Appeal Case Against Journalists Over Reporting on Judicial Irregularities
🇬🇹 Guatemala /Crime & Justice

Guatemala: Prosecutors Appeal Case Against Journalists Over Reporting on Judicial Irregularities

From Prensa Libre · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • - Guatemalan prosecutors are appealing a decision to dismiss a case against journalists and columnists from the defunct elPeriódico newspaper.
  • The journalists are accused of obstructing justice for reporting on alleged judicial irregularities concerning the newspaper's founder, Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín.
  • Human rights advocates and the journalists' defense argue that the prosecution's actions constitute a violation of freedom of expression and press freedom.

Guatemalan prosecutors are pursuing a legal battle to investigate journalists and columnists associated with the now-defunct elPeriódico newspaper. The Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity (Feci) has filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court (CC) seeking to pursue charges of obstructing justice against individuals who commented on alleged judicial anomalies in the case of the newspaper's founder, Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín.

The appeal stems from a previous dismissal of the case by other criminal courts. Feci argues that the journalists' publications harmed the "honor" of former Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who served from 2018 to 2026. However, neither the prosecutors nor Porras appeared at a public hearing held by the CC to review the appeal, despite their role in initiating it.

During the hearing, the journalists involved urged the court to uphold freedom of expression. They highlighted the judicial persecution they have faced from the Public Ministry under Porras's tenure, which has forced several communicators into exile. Journalist Alexander Valdez, who returned to Guatemala after three years abroad, stated that the CC has an opportunity to "set a precedent" and halt the criminalization of the press for simply performing their reporting duties.

This is an administrative instance, not criminal, so what the various courts in the country have done is reiterate the guarantee of freedom of expression, freedom of the press.

— Wendy LópezThe defense lawyer Wendy López argued before the Constitutional Court that the prosecution's actions were administrative, not criminal, and that previous rulings supported freedom of the press.

Several prominent figures from elPeriódico are targeted, including former director Julia Corado, ex-information chief Gerson Ortiz, reporters Cristian Vélix, Rony Ríos, and Denis Aguilar, as well as former columnists Gonzalo Marroquín and Edgar Gutiérrez. The defense team, led by lawyer Wendy López, emphasized that previous judicial decisions have affirmed that such matters should be handled through a "Tribunal de Imprenta" under the Law of Freedom of Expression, not through criminal proceedings. This legal strategy by Feci is seen as a challenge to these established rulings.

Adding context, Guatemala's new Attorney General, Gabriel García Luna, announced on May 17 the formation of a commission to review the situations of exiled journalists, prosecutors, judges, and activists who fear judicial persecution. This initiative follows sanctions against Consuelo Porras by the United States and the European Union.

set a precedent

— Alexander ValdezJournalist Alexander Valdez told the court that the Constitutional Court has the opportunity to establish a significant legal precedent by stopping the criminalization of journalists.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Prensa Libre in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog