Central America presents a complex panorama for freedom of expression because of the permanence and rise of authoritarian governments backed up by unjustified exception regimes, as in El Salvador and Honduras, and the continuity of anti-democracy actors in the judiciary, as in Guatemala.
In Guatemala, the collective Red Rompe el Miedo documented 77 aggressions against journalists in the last year. Because of their labor, critical and independent journalists often face judicial harassment. The main perpetrators continue to be public officials.
The efforts made by the executive in favor of human rights are insufficient. The General Attorney continues trying to undermine democracy and freedom of expression. It is essential to mention the recent decision made by the Third Chamber of the Appellation Court in the Jose Rubén Zamora case on 4th March 2025. Jose Rubén Zamora was returned to prison on 10th March, even though the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention qualified the detention as arbitrary because of his profession as a journalist, and the judge mentioned during the hearing the harassment and the threats against him. The decision is a message for all critical and independent media in Guatemala, intending to silence them.
Stigmatization and other types of violence are frequent in Guatemala, as a consequence of failing to recognise community journalism, even when international mechanisms have demanded it. We, including Fundamedios, Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) and DEMOS Institute, found evidence of a lack of necessary conditions for community journalists to exercise their profession during an Observation Mission implemented between October 2024 and January 2025, in which we interviewed journalists in the Alta Verapaz, Chiquimula, Guatemala, Izabal, Petén, Quiché, Sacatepéquez, Sololá and Totonicapán departments.
In Honduras, the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression of the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission related to the repeal of honor offenses have not been implemented. In contrast, their instrumentalization has increased for judicial persecution against journalists and human right defenders, as has been shown with the case of complaints against eleven media workers because of a supposed defamation and injury suffered by a high commander of the Armed Forces.
In this context, we see a drastic increase in the use of discredited campaigns to illegitimise and smear journalists and different media, with public officials being the principal perpetrators. The execution of the election during the exception regime and curfew imposed for March 9th contributed to an unfavorable environment for public scrutiny.
As in Honduras, the instrumentalization of the judicial system to harass journalists has been implemented with more frequency in El Salvador, where between June to December 2024, ARTICLE 19 documented judicial harassment against journalists Mónica Rodríguez and Ricardo Vaquerano because of their labor. This is facilitated by the extended state of exception.
Finally, related to Nicaragua, we want to highlight the human rights crisis in the territory. It affects independent journalists and critical voices, which, regardless of the context, are trying to give oxygen to the civic space but at a high cost. The organization Fundación por la Libertad de Expresión y Democracia (FLED) confirmed that at least in 10 departments of the country, journalists had not carried out their labor for fear of being pursued, disappeared, or criminalized. This crisis is also reflected in the recent recommendations of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Rapport (UPR) and the government’s withdrawal from the Human Rights Council.
We make a respectful call to all States at this Council to:
- Urge the Guatemalan government to act more proactively in the case of Zamora, to implement a mechanism for the protection of journalists that promotes better conditions for all types of journalism in the country, and to advance recognition of community journalism in line with the Sentence derived from the Case “Pueblos Indígenas Maya Kaqchikel de Sumpango y otros Vs. Guatemala” of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights;
- Condemn the violence and disinformation and smear campaigns against journalists during the election process in Honduras, and maintain the demands for the repeal of honor offenses as raised during Honduras’ UPR;
- Maintain monitoring and raising violations of freedom of expression taken by the presidents of El Salvador and Nicaragua; and,
- Continue supporting independent and critical journalists and media workers of Nicaragua, both in the territory and out of the country.
Signed by:
- ARTICLE 19
- Freedom House
- Free Press Unlimited
- Protection International Mesoamérica
- Red Rompe el Miedo Guatemala
- Reporteros Sin Fronteras