GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – A Guatemalan judge on Friday ruled that imprisoned journalist Jose Zamora can leave prison and remain under house arrest after more than 800 days behind bars.
Zamora, a well-known journalist who founded the now-defunct newspaper elPeriodico and whose work has criticized successive governments, was arrested in July 2022 on money laundering charges.
He claimed that he was a political prisoner because of his work.
Zamora was sentenced to six years in prison in 2023 for money laundering. An appeals court later overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial in 2025.
Judge Erick Garcia argued Friday that Zamora’s time in preventive prison had reached its limit under human rights standards.
“We impose house arrest,” Garcia said in his ruling. “He is also prohibited from leaving the country without court permission.”
“I am very satisfied. I appreciate what’s happening,” Zamora said after making the decision.
In August, the United Nations said Zamora was being held in conditions that could amount to torture, citing an expert panel report, and called on authorities to address allegations of inhumane conditions.
