Guatemala newspaper elPeriodico shuts amid crackdown

FILE PHOTO: An employee walks through the facility of the elPeriodico newspaper, an outlet famous for investigations that have revealed several cases of government corruption, following the detention of its founder Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin by Guatemalan authorities, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - One of Guatemala's most recognized news outlets and a staunch government critic elPeriodico said on Friday that it will completely shut down operations as of Monday, 10 months after the arrest of its founder and president, Jose Zamora.

Known for its investigative reporting for nearly three decades, elPeriodico laid off 80% of its staff in November and stopped printing, going entirely digital following Zamora's arrest on charges of money laundering and influence peddling.