A popular journalist in Guatemala, Jose Ruben Zamora, was sent to prison for six years. Before that he was detained since July 2022. He was facing charges of money laundering.
His newspaper was a source of serious investigative reporting mostly exposing abuse of power and corruption in the corridors of power.
Jose is one of the most celebrated media practitioners in the entire Latin America. The journalist started his career as an industrial engineer and later became a journalist and entrepreneur. He is the founder of three newspapers in Guatemala: Siglo Veintiuno (1990), El Periodico (1996) and Nuestro Diario (1998).
As a result of his work, Jose has received numerous awards in the past including the International Press Freedom Award in 1994, Maria Moors Cabot Prize (1994) and was named one of the 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the 20th Century by the International Press Institute.
Jose was arrested by Guatemala authorities and was charged with money laundering which was seen as a revenge against his coverage of corruption cases in Guatemala high corridors of power.
In 1986, Jose Zamora earned his degrees in industrial engineering and business administration from ANC. In 1985, he founded a news production company. His first newspaper always reported on issues which are considered dangerous such as guerrilla groups, narcotics, human rights and corruption in the Jorge Serrano administration.
Due to his high voltage reporting, his newspapers were sometimes surrounded by the national police forces. His newspapers were censored but he found a way of faxing the uncensored versions of the stories to newspapers in the neighboring nations.
El Periodico
Zamora has faced violent attacks on numerous occasions due to his journalism work. For instance, in June 2003, Jose Zamora and his family were held hostage for several hours by a gang in Guatemala.
Elsewhere, Jose Zamora was recognized as an illustrious Graduate of Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala by the Professional College of Engineers in 2014.
END
