Protection International Mesoamérica, together with other NGOs and civil society organisations, stand in solidarity with UDEFEGUA and its Director, Jorge Santos, due the false information that has been disseminated during one of the hearings of the trial against the journalist, founder and president of the newspaper ElPeriódico, Rubén Zamora.

For years, UDEFEGUA’s work has helped protect and support thousands of human rights defenders (HRDs) victims of torture, threads, harassment, and criminalisation in Guatemala. Santos professional work and commitment to fundamental rights is recognised on a national and international level.

The accusations against its director come in the context of the persecution of those who defend human rights in Guatemala. The situation is aggravated and particularly worrying by the chain of reprisals, defamation and stigmatisation campaigns orchestrated by groups seeking to confuse public opinion about the role of human rights defenders.

Find the full joint statement below.