Since February, troll farms commonly known in Guatemala as net centers have intensified their campaigns of disinformation and online harassment against journalists using anonymous or pseudonymous accounts. One of the main targets is Nelton Rivera, a respected investigative journalist and co-director of the news agency Km. 169, which oversees the independent news platforms Prensa Comunitaria and Ruda.
These coordinated attacks have flooded social media with false and defamatory accusations, alleging that Rivera receives foreign funding and collaborates with organized crime. These are eerily like the baseless allegations used against another prominent journalist, José Rubén Zamora, founder of elPeriódico, who remains imprisoned under false charges of money laundering.
The smear campaign against Rivera escalated in March and April, with dozens of manipulated images, threats of legal action, and calls for his arrest circulating widely online. Some posts even depict Rivera behind bars next to José Rubén Zamora clearly suggesting that he will be jailed next.
We urge Guatemalan authorities to take immediate action to stop these orchestrated attacks and protect Nelton Rivera from defamation and politically motivated threats. Targeting journalists with disinformation and legal harassment is a serious threat to press freedom in Guatemala.
In addition, we call for the immediate release of José Rubén Zamora, who has been unjustly detained and is innocent of the charges brought against him. His continued imprisonment represents a grave injustice and a chilling warning to independent media in the region.