By Lilia Lopez On Friday February 24, well-known San Cristóbal activist, Dámasco Villanueva was arrested while setting up the Zapatista information booth in the town center. Within the first 24-hours of his detainment, the authorities offered no explicit explanation for Villanueva’s arrest, saying only that it had to do with a two-year old complaint filed by the telephone giant, Pegstar Company and its mobile phone network affiliate, Movistar. According to the authorities, Villanueva was accused of causing over $2,300,000 pesos (US $220,000) of damage to one of the company’s cell phone towers located in his neighborhood. This is not an uncommon occurrence in many neighborhoods in Mexico where such towers are located, as the microwaves they radiate are believed to have harmful effects on humans. Many local activists speculated that the detention was actually a result of Villanueva’s involvement in the Sexta Coleta, a civil society committee that coordinated Subcomandante Marcos' visit to San Cristóbal as part of La Otra Campaña tour, not his alleged defacement of Pegsta property. In addition, Villanueva runs the Zapatista information booth that is a fixture next to the Cathedral in San Cristóbal. Much of the San Cristóbal NGO community was already on edge after a number of recent acts of repression and harassment against individuals and groups involved with La Otra Campaña before Villanueva was detained. A rally calling for his release was held the day after he was arrested as news of his situation spread quickly throughout the local activist community. Finally, on May 2 after more than a week in jail, Villanueva was released due to lack of evidence against him. That same evening, he joined his supporters in the square in front the cathedral to celebrate his release. He pledged to continue fighting for the causes he believes in. both for his community and La Otra. “So I will continue and tomorrow I will open the Zapatista information booth I am responsible for, like I do every day, next to the Cathedral. Thank you for all of your efforts, and thank you for the energy you have all sent me. I was not afraid, I was not beaten, and tomorrow I will continue,” he said. Sources: NarcoNews