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Legal Cases

Guatemalan court revokes house arrest of journalist José Rubén Zamora

“Guatemalan journalist Jose Rubén Zamora made a statement Friday, Nov. 15, on the decision of an Appeals Court that revoked his substitute measures of house arrest and ordered him to return to prison within 48 hours, a decision that he questioned because, in his opinion, the arguments used to revoke the previous measures are not […]

Peru judge orders IDL-Reporteros to turn over audio recordings in corruption case

“In an Oct. 25 resolution, Peru Supreme Court Judge Juan Carlos Checkley ordered the Attorney General’s office to compel [investigative news website] IDL-Reporteros to turn over audio recordings that were part of its 2018 investigation into judicial corruption and to interrogate [Gustavo] Gorriti, its editor in chief. ‘It is appalling that the Peruvian judicial system […]

Venezuelan court puts journalist and daughter of dissidents on trial

“The case of La Patilla journalist Ana Carolina Guaita, detained since Aug. 20 in Venezuela, was brought to trial in a hearing on Monday, Nov. 11, and she was sentenced to prison. Guaita was charged with inciting hatred, terrorism and obstruction of a public highway. The information was reported by political leader César Pérez Vivas […]

Chilean prosecutor calls for 25 years in prison for journalist's suspected killer

“Chilean Prosecutor's Office requested this Monday [Sept. 7] 25 years in prison for Marcelo Naranjo after the start of the oral arguments in the trial for the murder of journalist Francisca Sandoval on May 1, 2022. 'The Fourth Oral Criminal Court of Santiago begins arguments in a case against Marcelo Enrique Naranjo for the murder […]

Eight former Colombian intelligence officials convicted for torture of journalist Claudia Duque

“[On Sept. 26,] the 10th Criminal Court of Bogotá sentenced the former director of intelligence of Colombia's now-defunct Administrative Department of Security (DAS, for its acronym in Spanish), Enrique Alberto Ariza Rivas, to 12.5 years in prison for the crime of aggravated torture. In the first instance, the Court found him responsible for the persecution […]

Guatemala Supreme Court to review sentence against José Rubén Zamora in September 2025

“The cassation (appeal) hearing for the case of Jose Rubén Zamora was postponed to Sept. 23, 2025 by the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice. Until that date, the resolution of an Appeals Chamber that annulled the conviction against Zamora, due to allegations of money laundering presented by the public prosecutor's office, would […]

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Judge puts an end to defamation lawsuit against Peruvian journalist Daniel Yovera

A judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Lima, Peru, declared the legal case against investigative journalist Daniel Yovera Soto closed, according to legal documents published by the newspaper La República on Aug. 25. Yovera Soto was accused of aggravated defamation by Carlos Alberto Abelardo Gómez de la Torre Pretell, representative of the San […]

Former top Colombian intelligence official convicted in torture of journalist Claudia Duque

A court in Bogotá “has convicted José Miguel Narváez, former deputy director of the Administrative Department of Security (DAS), for the crime against humanity of aggravated and continuous torture suffered by journalist Claudia Julieta Duque. Narváez is the seventh person to be convicted in this case and has been identified by Duque as one of […]

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Alleged torturers of Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho released from jail; Article 19 appeals

Mexican judges granted changes in preventive detention for former Mexican governor of Puebla, Mario Marín Torres, as well as Adolfo Karam Beltrán, former director of the judicial police. Both are accused of committing acts of torture against journalist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro and have been permitted to leave detention. Press freedom organization Article 19 said it […]

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Four journalists detained after elections in Venezuela are charged with terrorism

"'We denounce the illegal and arbitrary use of anti-terrorism laws in Venezuela, especially against journalists and photojournalists detained during the post-election protests in the country,' the [National Union of Press Workers] SNTP said in a statement posted on its social networks. Photojournalists Yousner Alvarado (Barinas, west) and Deisy Peña (Miranda, center), cameraman Paúl León (Trujillo, […]

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Guatemalan president promises he will do everything possible to free José Rubén Zamora

"On July 29, to mark the second anniversary of Jose Rubén Zamora’s unjust and arbitrary detention, a Reporters Without Borders (RSF, for its acronym in French) representative traveled to Guatemala to meet with and advocate for the wrongfully imprisoned journalist. After visiting Zamora in the Mariscal Zavala prison, Artur Romeu, director of RSF’s Latin America […]

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Ecuadoran judge issues ruling in case that 'sets positive precedent' for freedom of expression

A judge from Ecuador, in the province of Loja, handed down a ruling that “sets a precedent for the abusive use of judicial power to persecute any dissident voice,” according to the NGO Fundamedios. The July 22 ruling annulled a decision taken last June by the Cantonal Board for the Protection of Rights that, among […]