Urgent appeal to UN says journalist José Rubén Zamora was tortured, should be freed

Mexico City, July 18, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists supports the urgent appeal filed to UN officials by an international legal team on behalf of Guatemalan investigative journalist José Rubén Zamora, who the appeal says has been wrongfully imprisoned since 2022 and held in conditions “that amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”

The appeal, sent to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, says Zamora, age 67, has been deprived of light, water, and sleep, subjected to “sadistic humiliation ceremonies,” unnecessary restraints, and “has been detained in unsanitary conditions that pose a danger to his physical health and well-being.”

“Jose Rubén Zamora’s treatment in prison and pre-trial detention is appalling and constitutes a grave violation of international human rights standards,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s Program Director. “The international community must act urgently to ensure his immediate release.”

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently declared Zamora’s imprisonment arbitrary and in violation of international law. Likewise, a February report from TrialWatch gave a failing grade to Zamora’s legal proceedings, citing numerous breaches of fair-trial standards.

The UN working group asked Guatemalan authorities to report within six months on Zamora’s release status, any compensation or reparations, the results of the investigation into his rights violations, and whether Guatemala enacted legislative amendments or practical changes to align with international obligations.

Zamora, president of elPeriódico newspaper, was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2023 on money laundering charges, but an appeals court overturned his conviction in October 2023 and ordered a retrial. However, numerous delays have prolonged the new trial in 2024.