Article 35 of the Guatemalan Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression, with an attached clause banning offensive or criminal speech.
In Guatemala today, reporters often must contend with legal harassment, threats, and in the worst cases, assault or murder, originating from the government, large businesses, and the cartels.
[2] These aggressions, combined with the government's lack of response or punishment for perpetrators, have led to a culture of self-censorship for reporters in the country.
The Guatemalan Civil War, fought from 1960 to 1996, put into power a series of dictators who tried to control the media through a combination of censorship laws and violence.
[1] So far, no one has been held accountable for any of these deaths or disappearances, although the Guatemalan government has been implicated in the cases of both Irma Flaquer and Jorge Carpio Nicolle.
Red zones in the countryside also exist in Guatemala, areas controlled by the cartels where no one is allowed to enter unless given permission, including journalists.