Press freedom group urges Guatemala government to investigate journalist murder – JURIST
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demanded an investigation on Friday into the murder of Guatemalan journalist Carmen Ismael Alonzo Gonzalez, who was shot last week. In the background of a surge in violence against journalists, RSF urged the government to install legal safeguards.
RSF Latin America director Artur Romeu stated:
The murder of Ismael Alonzo González highlights the dangers and insecurity faced by community journalists in Guatemala. Despite the progress made by President Bernardo Arévalo’s administration in terms of press freedom, journalism remains a high-risk profession, particularly for those working in regions far from the capital.
The 27-year-old Alonzo Gonzalez was shot dead outside his home in the western province of Quetzaltenango by two armed men, possibly alleged gang members, as per the authorities. The motive of the murder remains unknown. Gonzales frequently reported on events and developments in his local community as the general manager of Producciones Alonzo, a correspondent for the Despertar Occidental, and a member of the Association of Journalists and Communicators of the Southwest (APSCO).
The Association of Guatemalan Journalists (APG), as a response to the murder, called for the investigation of those responsible for this crime and for them to be brought to justice. They hoped that the causes of the murder have nothing to do with Gonzalez’s journalistic practice, as, they expressed, would be regrettable to go back to when intolerance against freedom of expression reigned.
Since the election of President Bernardo Arevalo and the start of his term on January 15, 2024, the Arevalo government has pledged to restore protections for journalists, which have been hindered by congressional support and judicial resistance. Despite the promise of legal safeguards, the Attorney General’s office was accused of political prosecutions and legal actions against journalists. Under the old government, APG reported that 105 attacks against freedom of expression had been recorded in Guatemala in 2022, most allegedly instituted by the government.
