The world is going through a democratic recession, and various indices reflect it. Currently, 70% of the world’s population lives under authoritarian regimes or open dictatorships. Latin America is one of the regions most affected by this situation. The so-called “democratic spring” is in the past, and it happened before our eyes, with the complicity of many who call themselves democrats.

It is enough to look around the neighborhood and see that we have three full dictatorships: Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Haiti is a failed state with no short-term solutions, and authoritarianisms flourish like clover in a wet field. Central America is the sub-region that has slipped down this slide the fastest. El Salvador and Guatemala are fully functional autocracies. In Guatemala, we can talk about the kleptocracy of the ruling caste, which destroys democratic institutions and the free press. The case of journalist José Rubén Zamora is the best example.

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I must say that I met José Rubén when I went to Guatemala following the trail of the unusual drug plane case that led to Rafael Correa’s personal call to former Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina, pleading for his release. During my visit I was shocked to see various dictators and presidents being tried for their crimes and atrocities in the Guatemala City judicial complex. Those were the good times of CICIG.

When I arrived at José Rubén Zamora’s house, I had another surprise: the journalist, director of El Periódico de Guatemala, could not leave his house. He lived in seclusion because of real death threats he received from organized crime and corrupt politicians, which is the same in Guatemala. José Rubén called it the “Pact of the Corrupt”, which also included the military and businessmen. I remember that Zamora had already predicted that what was happening was too good to last and that the Covenant of the Corrupt would return for revenge.

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All said and done, revenge came from Alejandro Giammattei and the actions of far-right groups that imprisoned judges, prosecutors and journalists who dared to fight corruption and organized crime.

These days, the trial of José Rubén Zamora on an inconclusive charge of money laundering is being conducted as a jury. The reality is that the process against Zamora is another proof of the decline of democracy in Guatemala, a country ravaged by corruption, violence and impunity. A nation where public institutions are weak, and justice is manipulated by the powerful. In this context, journalism becomes a risky and sometimes deadly business.

But Zamora is not alone in his struggle. Journalists and defenders of human rights in Guatemala are raising their voices in support of Zamora and freedom of expression. There was also a strong international response, which will be reflected in the international mission that a large alliance of networks and organizations for human rights and freedom of expression will carry out in the coming days. (OR)