In Chiapas, content creator Benjamin López was detained for over nine hours and fined 5,000 pesos after posting an AI-generated meme featuring crocodiles at the Sak’ Chen ecotourism center in Nuevo San Juan Chamula.
Although the image was clearly satirical, local authorities considered the content potentially “misleading” and likely to cause alarm among visitors and residents.
On his social media, López explained that he hadn’t clearly stated it was a meme and acknowledged his mistake. He removed the image from his Facebook page and replaced it with the original.
“The post was simply a meme or humorous piece. I recognize that it was wrong not to specify that, and I apologize for what happened,” he said.
The influencer also noted that some media outlets disseminated altered information that negatively impacted his community.
“Details were added that are no longer true and that affect my community,” he explained, referring to the coverage by local news outlets that interpreted the image as a real threat to tourism.
Furthermore, the sanctions applied are part of the community’s internal agreements, López explained.
“What I mentioned about jail and sanctions is within the customs and traditions of my community when someone commits an offense.”
However, the incident generated controversy, as the influencer was detained and forced to pay a fine to be released.
After his release, López publicly denounced the incident, accusing authorities of abuse of power and violations of his right to freedom of expression.
A meme became a legal conflict due to local regulations that do not always align with federal law.
In Chiapas, the interplay between constitutional rights and customs in some areas has led to situations like this, where community agreements prevail.
Source: aristeguinoticias
