On June 25, 2023, Guatemala will hold general elections for president, legislators, and mayors in a context of deteriorating human, civil, and electoral rights. As part of our efforts to assess the pre-electoral conditions in the months leading up to election day, WOLA, RFKHR and HRW visited Guatemala City from April 17 through April 21, 2023. The delegation met with civil society, public officials, independent press, diplomatic corps, and the United Nations to gather information and discuss the main issues and challenges with regards to the upcoming elections.
In July, Guatemalan police arrested Jose Ruben Zamora, one of the country’s most prominent journalists and publisher of El Periodico, a newspaper whose mission is to shine light on corruption.
A Guatemalan newspaper known for hard-hitting investigations of government corruption and whose founder is currently on trial, announced Friday that it will shut down.