by Liza Carlisle at Republic Brief
The Central American country of Guatemala is a tourist destination for those seeking rainforests, rivers, and reef diving.
Guatemala has been known as a democratic republic and welcoming to commerce with visitors.
Political unrest in Guatemala, however, is in the news.
Recently the government of Guatemala detained a journalist from that country, Jose Ruben Zamora.
An award-winning journalist and founder of El Periodico publication, Zamora is a staunch critic of the Guatemalan government, and after a raid on his office was arrested by police on charges of probable money laundering, local media reported.
Zamora stated to reporters at the time of his arrest,” There must be a conspiracy, persecution. If that’s the case, we must pay for the love of Guatemala with jail time,” the New York Times reported.
Republic World noted:
“The arrest of Zamora is the latest move by Guatemalan authorities to crush political dissent and attempts to expose graft and corruption in the government of President Giammattei. This comes as Guatemala continues to remain a hotbed of human rights violations. Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights enlisted Guatemala in the category of serious human rights violations, an accusation that president Giammattei rejects.”
Giammattei, a former director of the Guatemalan penitentiary system and coordinator of electoral processes, was elected as president in 2019.
His political statements include pledging to “crush violent gangs, fight poverty to stop migration, and end ‘disgusting’ corruption.”
The president is “against same-sex marriage and abortion, and supports using the military for civilian security.”
On a 2019 visit to Israel he declared…
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