Guatemalan court overturns order that freed journalist José Rubén Zamora, orders his return to jail

GUATEMALA CITY — A Guatemalan appeals court on Friday overturned the order freeing journalist José Rubén Zamora and ordered his return to jail.

Zamora, founder of El Periódico newspaper, had spent more than two years in jail awaiting trial before a judge granted him house arrest in October.

Prosecutors appealed the order and on Friday another court ordered the 68-year-old journalist to continue waiting in jail.

Zamora had been imprisoned since July 2022, when he was charged with money laundering, amounting to around $38,000, and in June 2023 he was sentenced to six years in prison. The sentence was overturned by an appeals court because of errors in the process, but he’s waiting to see if he will be granted a retrial.

José Zamora, the journalist’s son, confirmed the appeals court decision, which he called “insanity” and said his father’s defense team had been notified.

The elder Zamora had been ordered to be moved to house arrest on Oct. 18. The judge had said his pre-trial detention had exceeded legal limits.

After his release, Zamora said that the justice system remained coopted and that he was sure they would try to find a way to return him to jail.

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