譯/陳曉慈
報社被迫關門 瓜地馬拉脆弱民主再受創
When the newspaper elPeriodico was founded in Guatemala in 1996, the country was emerging from a brutal civil war, and there was a feeling that a small space for free thought might be opening.
當「報紙日報」1996年成立時，瓜地馬拉剛結束一場血腥內戰，人們以為，這或許將為思想自由開闢一個小小天地。
That opening closed last week when elPeriodico, which made a name for itself and became a frequent target for trying to hold Guatemala's governments to account, published its final digital edition.
這片天地上周消失了。「報紙日報」因經常針砭當局打響名號、也成為政府眼中釘後，上周出刊最後一份電子報。
The newspaper's demise followed the jailing of its publisher after he was accused by the government of financial crimes and the freezing of its assets as part of the case, which dealt a financial blow and led to the suspension of the print edition in December.
停刊前，當局已經用金融犯罪等罪名將報紙日報發行人拘捕入獄，並以與案情相關為由凍結報社資產，嚴重打擊報社財務，也導致該報的紙本，自去年12月起停刊至今。
The closing of elPeriodico is the latest setback for Guatemala's increasingly brittle democracy, civil liberties groups say, as President Alejandro Giammattei steers the country toward greater repression, targeting critics, including the news media, opposition politicians and the judiciary.
公民權利組織表示，「報紙日報」熄燈是對瓜地馬拉日益脆弱民主的最新一記打擊。總統賈麥岱執掌瓜國期間針對批評者加強鎮壓，包括新聞媒體、反對派政治人物及司法機構。
"We wanted to be irreverent, not necessarily confrontational," said Luis Aceituno, who was one of three dozen remaining staff members at elPeriodico, whose newsroom at its high point in 2012 had 400 employees.
報紙日報團隊已從2012年全盛時期400人減少至30餘人，留下的成員之一阿賽圖諾說：「我們想要不畏權勢，並沒有非要對抗」。
But over the years, elPeriodico has drawn the ire of the country's ruling elite.
不過多年下來，「報紙日報」已讓瓜國統治菁英頗為憤怒。
Since Giammattei took office in 2020, elPeriodico had published scores of investigative articles focused on government corruption within his administration, including within the prosecutor's office and the country's high court.
賈麥岱2020年上台以來，「報紙日報」刊出不少針對賈麥岱政府貪腐的調查報導，包括檢察署及最高法院都是報導對象。
"Despite the fatigue, the severe adverse conditions, the humiliation and the derision, I will not cease in my fight for freedom and democracy in Guatemala," José Rubén Zamora, the newspaper's publisher, wrote in a final editorial from jail.
該報發行人薩莫拉在獄中撰寫最後一篇社論說：「儘管疲憊不堪，情況惡劣，遭受羞辱與譏笑，我不會停止為瓜地馬拉的自由與民主奮鬥」。
Zamora has been detained since July after he was charged with money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling. He has denied any wrongdoing and has called the charges a "persecution."
薩莫拉被控洗錢、勒索、以權謀私等罪名，從去年7月被拘留至今。他否認任何不當行為，稱這些指控是「迫害」。
The shuttering of elPeriodico "is a horrible sign for independent journalism in Guatemala and in Central America," said Eduardo Suárez, head of editorial at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in England. "What we are seeing in Guatemala is the latest example of how press freedom is eroding in the region."
英國路透新聞學研究所社論總主筆蘇亞雷斯表示，報紙日報停刊「對瓜地馬拉及中美洲的獨立媒體環境而言，是一個糟糕的徵兆。瓜地馬拉發生的事，是該區域新聞自由正遭逐步侵蝕的最新案例」。
Now the country is barreling toward presidential elections in June amid concerns that opposition candidates will not have a fair chance to run, according to international organizations.
國際組織指出，瓜地馬拉6月總統大選轉眼將至，令人擔憂反對黨候選人無法獲得公平競選機會。
And there will be at least one news media outlet fewer around to cover the race.
而且至少會少一家新聞媒體報導這場選戰。
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