Guatemalan investigative journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, founder of the now-defunct independent newspaper el Periódico, was released to house arrest on 12 February 2026 after spending 1295 days in pre-trial detention.
Upon his release, Zamora told the waiting press, “As you’ve seen, I am paying for crimes I did not commit. Lies spread very quickly, but the truth always catches up.”
While his release is welcome, his legal situation remains precarious.
Zamora was arrested in July 2022 on multiple spurious charges including money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling – charges his lawyers and international observers have consistently described as politically motivated retaliation for his investigations into state corruption.
In June 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison on the money laundering charge and acquitted of the others. The conviction followed a trial plagued by irregularities and numerous violations of Zamora’s right to due process and a fair trial, including the judge’s rejection of crucial exculpatory witness evidence for the defence.
In June 2025, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice annulled the money laundering conviction, confirming the existence of serious procedural violations and ordering a retrial. The retrial is currently suspended pending an appeal.
Prosecutors subsequently escalated their judicial harassment by bringing
an additional charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice, baselessly accusing Zamora and his legal team of conspiring to interfere with investigations related to the money laundering case, and continue to pursue a second case alleging that Zamora used falsified documents between 2015 and 2017.
Since his arrest in 2022, Zamora has remained imprisoned. Although he was transferred to house arrest on 18 October 2024 on the grounds that his pre-trial detention had far exceeded the one-year legal limit, the decision was appealed and he was returned to Mariscal Zavala military prison in March 2025, where he remained until February 2026. Media Defence’s CEO, Carlos Gaio, visited Zamora in prison in October 2025.
The judge who granted house arrest in February, did so on the basis that Zamora has already served enough time in pre-trial detention to have effectively completed the minimum possible sentences he could receive if convicted in either of the ongoing cases against him.
His lawyer Hector Reyes told Media Defence: “Neither of these two crimes has been committed by him. He is an innocent person.”
“Under the Guatemalan Penal Code, these offences allow for alternative measures [house arrest as opposed to prison]. The possible sentences, in the event of a conviction, are relatively low. For that reason, he only has about four months left to complete the minimum sentence that could be imposed.”
Under the terms of his release, Zamora may move freely within the department of Guatemala but must regularly report to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to register his fingerprint. His legal team is seeking to consolidate his reporting obligations across both cases to avoid near-weekly visits to the Prosecutor’s Office.
His situation remains uncertain. The Prosecutor’s Office, led by María Consuelo Porras — herself widely criticised for undermining anti-corruption efforts in Guatemala — has already appealed the house arrest ruling, meaning he could yet be returned to prison. A further discrimination complaint, filed by Porras and the Foundation Against Terrorism, is scheduled to be heard on 30 April, and a key hearing on the formal indictment in the falsified documents case is set for 31 March.
Zamora’s health deteriorated seriously during his imprisonment, and towards the end, he refused to see even his own lawyers, “I believe he was desperate, unable to see any light ahead, despite our legal actions on his behalf,” said Reyes.
Reyes is hopeful that Zamora’s health can now improve, with a different treatment plan, a proper diet, and the ability to exercise. “His family is very happy that he is no longer in pre-trial detention and that he can face whatever comes next,” he said.
“Media Defence also did very important work when they visited him here. All of that gave José Rubén the strength to continue facing these complaints,” he continued.
“Media Defence, along with other organisations and collectives, supported us so that this outcome could be achieved – that he be at home. This is clearly the best way for him to face these criminal proceedings, rather than in pre-trial detention, as Media Defence witnessed.”
Media Defence is supporting Zamora’s case through our Emergency Defence Programme, read more here.
