# List of journalists killed in Guatemala

Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists and media workers in Latin America. At least 342 journalists were murdered and 126 were disappeared or illegally arrested during the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996). On average, that would calculate to one attack each month for 36 years. When fighting broke out between the leftist guerrilla movements and the right-wing government, journalism became a dangerous profession in the country. Hundreds of media workers were beaten, imprisoned, kidnapped, or even killed for writing about corruption, repression, organized crime, and human right violations committed by the regime. As the intensity of the civil war increased in the 1970s, Guatemalan journalism polarized and journalists became involved in politics. If a citizen wanted to report a crime, they went to the press, not to law enforcement; people who wanted to voice their political opposition sent their work for publication to newspapers, not to the Guatemalan government. By 1985, when Guatemala readopted its constitutional rule, press freedom began to improve. When a peace treaty was signed in 1996, the atmosphere improved for journalists in Guatemala and the killings of media workers dropped significantly. However, attacks against the press and targeted killings continued under the form of organized crime.
The end of the civil war made the Guatemalan press free in several aspects; newspapers began to publish articles about government corruption, a topic that was frequently avoided during the war-time era, in increasing numbers. Despite these improvements, journalists in Guatemala learned to adopt a culture of self-censorship that dates back to the civil war. Negative attitudes from the government towards the Guatemalan press continue to exist, and the press lacks the economic independence to break away from the government and its advertisements and become fully autonomous. Most of the media outlets in the country are centered in Guatemala City, the capital. Journalists who work in the capital have better working conditions and are better protected from attacks than those living in the provinces, where they are easily pressured by local officials for their direct reporting. Since the mid-2000s, drug-related violence and the presence of Mexican organized crime, in particular of Los Zetas, has increased the number of homicides in Guatemala and attacks against the press.

## During the Guatemalan Civil War

| Date | Name | Location | Media outlet | Status |
| 1948 | Alejandro Córdova | Guatemala | El Imparcial | Killed |
| 20 August 1960 | Manuel Ávila Ayala (pen name): Meme Ayala | Guatemala | Diario de Centroamérica | Killed |
| 12 July 1967 | José Arnoldo Guilló Martínez | Escuintla, Escuintla Department | Radio Sur Radio Palmeras | Disappeared |
| 4 September 1967 | José Torón Barrios | Guatemala | Voz de la Liberación | Killed |
| 1968 | Gonzalo Acevedo | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | La Hora | Killed |
| 1970s | Luis Díaz Pérez | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 1970s | Enrique Salazar | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 29 April 1970 | Julio César de la Roca | Guatemala | La Nación | Killed |
| 20 November 1970 | Enrique Salazar Solórzano | Guatemala | El Debate Guatemala Flash | Disappeared |
| 20 November 1970 | Luis Díaz Pérez | Guatemala | Guatemala Flash | Disappeared |
| 10 December 1970 | Humberto González Juárez | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 15 May 1974 | Werner Roswald Trejo Álvarez | Guatemala | N/A | Disappeared |
| 19 July 1975 | Julio Roberto Pensamiento | San Agustín Acasaguastlán, El Progreso | La Nación | Killed |
| 22 July 1975 | José María López Valdizón | Guatemala | Alero Presencia Revista de Guatemala | Disappeared |
| 28 July 1975 | Carlos Humberto Oliveros | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Nuevo Diario del Aire | Disappeared |
| 15 December 1976 | Manuel de Jesús Mendizábal | Guatemala | N/A | Disappeared |
| 19 May 1979 | Carlos Gilberto Aquino Cruz | Jalapa, Jalapa | Oriental | Killed |
| 22 September 1978 | Héctor Augusto Vásquez | Huehuetenango, Huehuetenango | Radio Poderosa | Disappeared |
| 6 November 1978 | Antonio Estuardo Ciani García | Guatemala | Asociación de Periodistas Escolares | Disappeared |
| 11 December 1978 | José Héctor Sosa Villeda | Guatemala | Guate Cosas | Killed |
| 19 November 1979 | José León Castañeda | Guatemala | SIMCOS | Killed |
| 1980 | Baltasar Toy Medrano | Guatemala | Radio Quiché | Killed |
| 1980 | Víctor Galeano Rodríguez | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| March 1980 | Hugo Rolando Melgar | Guatemala | 7 Días | Killed |
| 17 April 1980 | Oscar Enrique Ovalle Barrillas | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | N/A | Disappeared |
| 21 June 1980 | Manuel René Polanco | Guatemala | Prensa Libre | Disappeared |
| 24 June 1980 | Belte Elvidio Villatoro | Guatemala | Nuevo Diario | Killed |
| 5 July 1980 | Marco Antonio Cacao Muñoz | Guatemala | Radio Sensación | Killed |
| 5 July 1980 | Eliot Hernández | Retalhuleu, Retalhuleu | La Nación | Killed |
| 16 July 1980 | Samuel González Romero | Guatemala | Prensa en Acción | Killed |
| 17 July 1980 | Manuel de Jesús Marroquín Castañeda | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | N/A | Killed |
| 26 July 1980 | Julio César Coronado Espinoza | Escuintla, Escuintla Department | El Estudiante | Killed |
| 1 August 1980 | José Alfredo González | Escuintla, Escuintla Department | Clarín Radio Tropicana | Killed |
| 1 August 1980 | Julio Cojón Tecún | Escuintla, Escuintla Department | Radio Tropicana | Killed |
| 1 August 1980 | Alberto Santisteban | Escuintla, Escuintla Department | Radio Tropicana | Killed |
| 1 August 1980 | Julio Solórzano Beltetón | Escuintla, Escuintla Department | Radio Tropicana | Killed |
| 5 August 1980 | Mario Ribas Montes | Guatemala | La Hora El Imparcial Diario de Centroamérica | Killed |
| 5 September 1980 | Luis Alberto Romero (pen name): Timoteo Curruchiche | Guatemala | Radio Sonora | Killed |
| 15 September 1980 | Ramiro Antonio García Jiménez | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Nuevo Diario | Disappeared |
| 6 October 1980 | Felipe Zepeda y Zepeda | Guatemala | Radio Quiche | Killed |
| 14 October 1980 | Víctor Hugo Pensamiento | El Progreso Department | La Nación Tele Prensa Radio Nuevo Mundo | Killed |
| 16 October 1980 | Irma Flaquer Azurdia | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | La Hora | Disappeared |
| 24 October 1980 | Gaspar Culán Yataz | Santiago Atitlan, Sololá | Radio Voz de Atitlán | Killed |
| 19 December 1980 | Alaíde Foppa | Guatemala | El Imparcial El Nacional | Disappeared |
| 19 December 1980 | José Guilló Martínez | Guatemala | N/A | Disappeared |
| 19 December 1980 | Sergio Sánchez | Retalhuleu, Retalhuleu | Teleprensa | Killed |
| 19 December 1980 | Carlos Siliézar | Escuintla, Escuintla | N/A | Killed |
| 1981 | Francisco Par | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 1981 | Paredes Quiñónez | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 30 January 1981 | Oscar Rolando Figueroa | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 4–15 February 1981 | Simón Estansilao Cabrera | Guatemala | Radio Musical | Killed |
| 6 February 1981 | Jorge Marroquín Mejía | Guatemala | Mundo Nuevo El Independiente | Killed |
| 21 February 1981 | Simón Leonidas Cabrera Rivera | Guatemala | Radio Jutiapa | Killed |
| 24 February 1981 | Óscar Arturo Palencia Pineda | Guatemala | Siete Días en la USAC | Killed |
| 10 March 1981 | Oscar Leonel Mujía Córdoba | Huehuetenango, Huehuetenango Department | Nuevo Mundo | Disappeared |
| 31 March 1981 | Luis Alfredo López | Guatemala | N/A | Killed |
| 21 April 1981 | Isidro Mirando López | Guatemala | Radio Tropical | Killed |
| 21 May 1981 | Fulvio Alirio Mejía Milián | Cuilapa, Santa Rosa | La Nación El Independiente | Killed |
| 21 May 1981 | Edgar Rolando Castillo Rivera | Quetzaltenango, Quetzaltenango | Radioperiódico América | Killed |
| 16 June 1981 | Rodrigo Ramírez Morales | Guatemala | Consejo Nacional de la Publicidad | Disappeared |
| 23 July 1981 | Sonia Calderón de Martell | Guatemala | El Gráfico | Disappeared |
| 9 August 1981 | Mario Solórzano Foppa | Guatemala | Infopress Nuevo Diario | Killed |
| 11 August 1981 | Abner Daniel Recinos Alfaro | Guatemala | Seis | Disappeared |
| 16 September 1981 | Didier Juvenal Martell González | Chiquimulilla, Santa Rosa | El Gráfico | Killed |
| 1982 | Agustín Tzaloj Tuist | Sololá, Sololá Department | Radio Quicoté | Killed |
| 21 January 1982 | Carmen Jax Say | Guatemala | Radio Utatlán | Killed |
| 2 February 1982 | Roberto Girón Lemus | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | La Nación | Killed |
| 1989 | Danilo Barillas | Guatemala | ¿Por Qué? | Killed |
| 29 March 1989 | Griffith Davis | Quiché, Guatemala | Freelance journalist | Killed |
| 29 March 1989 | Nicholas Chapman Blake | Quiché, Guatemala | Freelance journalist | Killed |
| 15 October 1990 | Humberto González Gamarra | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | N/A | Killed |
| 15 October 1990 | Miguel Ángel Cortín | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | N/A | Killed |
| 3 July 1993 | Jorge Carpio Nicolle | Chichicastenango, Quiché | El Gráfico | Killed |
| 24 December 1993 | Víctor Manuel de la Cruz | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Radio Sonora | Killed |
| 12 September 1994 | Victor Hugo López Escobar | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Radio Progreso | Killed |
| 29 January 1995 | Alberto Antoniotti Monge | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | El Gráfico | Killed |
| 11 November 1995 | Edwin Estuardo Mansilla De León | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Radio Progreso | Killed |
| 11 April 1996 | Juan José Yantuche | Mixco, Guatemala Department | TV Noticias | Killed |
| 10 December 1996 | Israel Hernández Marroquín | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Infopress Centroamericano | Killed |

## After the Guatemalan Civil War

| Date | Name | Location | Media outlet | Status |
| 5 June 1997 | Jorge Luis Marroquín Sagastume | Jocotán, Chiquimula | Sol Chortí | Killed |
| 16 July 1997 | Norman Homero Hernández Pérez | Tiquisate, Escuintla | Radio Campesina | Killed |
| 14 November 1997 | Luis Ronaldo de Leon Godoy | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Prensa Libre | Killed |
| 27 December 1999 | Larry Lee | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Bridge Financial News | Killed |
| 28 April 2000 | Roberto Martínez Castañeda | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Prensa Libre | Killed |
| 25 June 2000 | Francisco Antonio Castillo Gálvez | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Avances | Killed |
| 5 September 2001 | Jorge Mynor Alegría Armendáriz | Puente Barrios, Izabal | Radio Amatique | Killed |
| 24 July 2003 | Héctor Ramírez | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Noti-7 Radio Sonora | Killed |
| 11 September 2006 | Eduardo Heriberto Maas Bol | Cobán, Alta Verapaz | Radio Punto | Killed |
| 3 May 2007 | Mario Rolando López Sánchez | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Radio Sonora | Killed |
| 23 January 2008 | Hugo Arce | Guatemala | ¿Y Qué? | Killed |
| 12 April 2008 | Rubén Bozarreyes Luna | Gualán, Zacapa | Radio Gualán | Killed |
| 10 May 2008 | Jorge Mérida Pérez | Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango | Prensa Libre | Killed |
| 22 October 2008 | Abel Girón Morales | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | El Periódico | Killed |
| 2009 | Luis Alberto Oliva Orellana | Chiquimula, Zacapa | N/A | Killed |
| 1 April 2009 | Rolando Santiz de León | Guatemala City, Guatemala Department | Telecentro Trece | Killed |
| 5 June 2009 | Marco Antonio Estrada | Chiquimula, Zacapa | Telediario | Killed |
| 27 May 2010 | Anibal Archila | Guatemala City | Noti7 | Killed |
| 18–19 May 2011 | Yensi Roberto Ordoñez Galdámez | Nueva Concepción, Escuintla | Channel 14 | Killed |
| 20 March 2013 | Jaime Napoleón Jarquín Duarte | Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado, Jutiapa | Nuestro Diario | Killed |
| 7 April 2013 | Luis Alberto Lemus Ruano | Jalpatagua, Jutiapa | Café TV Radio Stereo Café | Killed |
| 7 August 2013 | Luis de Jesús Lima | Zacapa, Zacapa | La Sultana | Killed |
| 20 August 2013 | Carlos Alberto Orellana Chávez | Suchitepéquez Department | Canal Óptimo 23 | Killed |
| 10 March 2015 | Danilo López | Mazatenango, Suchitepéquez | Prensa Libre | Killed |
| 10 March 2015 | Federico Salazar | Mazatenango, Suchitepéquez | Nuevo Mundo | Killed |
| 14 March 2015 | Guido Armando Giovanni Villatoro Ramos | Chicacao, Suchitepéquez Department | Canal 14 | Killed |
| 1 February 2018 | Laurent Ángel Castillo Cifuentes | Santo Domingo Suchitepéquez | newspaper Nuestro Diario | Killed |
| 1 February 2018 | Luis Alfredo de León Miranda | Santo Domingo Suchitepéquez | Radio Coaltepec | Killed |
| 30 July 2021 | Pedro Alfonso Guadrón Hernández | Concepción Las Minas | Concepción Las Minas mi Tierra | Killed |