Washington, DC – Journalists from across the world who have been recognized for their outstanding work are rallying to support José Rubén Zamora, the Guatemalan publisher who was sentenced to six years in prison last week on trumped-up charges designed to silence his news outlet’s reporting.

In an open letter to the imprisoned journalist, recipients of the prestigious ICFJ Knight International Journalism Awards – from Pakistan and Romania to South Africa and Venezuela – condemned the sentencing and attacks on Zamora, a fellow winner from 2003. Zamora is the founder of elPeriódico, an independent news outlet known for hard-hitting investigations exposing corruption.

Zamora was found guilty of sham money laundering charges on June 14. He has been behind bars since July 2022 in pre-trial detention, and faces additional criminal charges. The sustained legal and economic harassment forced elPeriódico to close in May.

“You deserve to be free, and the Guatemalan people deserve better,” the letter reads. “From across the world, we stand with you. We call on authorities to release you immediately. We call on the Guatemalan government to stop harassing your colleagues. And we call on others in the international community to draw attention to your case – an alarming bellwether of the state of press freedom in Guatemala, Central America, and many of our own countries.”

ICFJ strongly condemned Zamora’s conviction as well.

“The legal persecution of one of Latin America’s most celebrated journalists is a blatant and shameless attack on independent journalism in Guatemala,” ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi said. “His conviction has made headlines around the world because it is a clear affront to democratic norms. José Rubén, his colleagues and all reporters in Guatemala must be free and safe to do their jobs. ICFJ joins the chorus of press freedom advocates calling for an end to this charade and for José Rubén’s immediate release.”

Read the ICFJ statement.