Outrage in Guatemala as crusading journalist given six-year prison term

José Rubén Zamora, 66, convicted and sentenced on money-laundering charges press freedom groups say were trumped up

A Guatemalan court has sentenced a crusading journalist to six years in prison in a money-laundering case, concluding a trial that press freedom groups have decried as a political persecution aimed at silencing a critical voice.

The three-judge panel on Wednesday convicted and sentenced José Rubén Zamora on a charge of money laundering that affected the national economy and stability of the financial system. The tribunal cleared Zamora of additional charges of blackmail and influence peddling.