Journalist says his detention removed Guatemala's 'mask of democracy'

A prominent Guatemalan journalist and corruption critic, declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, says that his time in prison allowed him to strip away his country's "mask of democracy."

Jose Ruben Zamora was arrested in July 2022 after his now-shuttered newspaper reported on graft allegations involving the government of former right-wing president Alejandro Giammattei.

The 68-year-old spent more than 800 days behind bars, accused of money laundering and blackmail, before he was freed from prison on October 19.

Today he remains under house arrest awaiting a retrial, and faces another accusation from prosecutors of obstruction of justice.

"You had a klepto-narco dictatorship disguised as a democracy, with an international community eager to feel that it had done enough for Guatemala," Zamora told AFP in an interview in the courtyard of his home.

"They wanted to see it as a country with democracy, elections, freedom," he said.

"I had more impact in two years in prison than in 30 years of journalism, because we stripped away the mask of democracy," he added.

- 'Sinister metamorphosis' -

A court allowed the journalist to be moved to house arrest "for human rights reasons," saying that "the extent of the prison sentence has exceeded the limits."

Zamora's sentencing in June 2023 to six years in prison for money laundering was overturned and he is awaiting another trial.

After his arrest, his wife and three children left Guatemala and went to the United States, fearing the same fate.

Zamora said that democracy in Guatemala and other Latin American countries "underwent a sinister metamorphosis."

"Once every four years we elected a thieving president who co-governs... with state contractors, with state unions, with organized crime, with political and economic monopolies and oligopolies."

He blames his ordeal on Giammattei, who was accused by rights groups of overseeing a crackdown on anti-graft prosecutors and journalists during his term, which ended in January.

"Ignorance is very dangerous and ignorance with power is extremely dangerous," Zamora said.

Giammattei was replaced by President Bernardo Arevalo, an underdog anti-corruption campaigner who overcame attempts by the political establishment to block his inauguration.

Zamora said that he never felt ashamed of being in prison.

"I learned to live with humility, with patience, with faith. They didn't hurt me. I regret the time I missed seeing my children and my grandchildren and my wife, but I felt free inside," he said.

"I didn't feel ashamed. I always felt proud."