Ancestral authority figure of Maya Mam, opposing a construction of a dam allegedly unwanted by the population, was arbitrarily detained. Don Oscar Sánchez, Mayan ancestral authority mam from the municipality of San Pablo, in the department of San Marcos, was arrested and later imprisoned in August of 2016 on charges brought by a hydroelectric company. According to local media, the company obtained an order of apprehension against Don Oscar, retained him for 30 days in prison in the city of Quetzaltenango. They call him a political prisoner, one of the 10 political prisoners in that department.