Donald Trump announced his intention to pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court last year. In his social media post, Trump described Hernández’s treatment as “very harsh and unfair.” Hernández was found guilty in March 2024 for conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and for unlawfully possessing machine guns, leading to a 45-year prison sentence.
Hernández, who served as president of Honduras from 2014 until 2022, was extradited to the U.S. in April 2022 to face trial regarding his involvement in a drug trafficking operation that reportedly smuggled hundreds of tons of cocaine into the country. He was convicted by a jury in New York two years later.
In addition to the pardon announcement, Trump expressed his support for Nasry “Tito” Asfura, a conservative candidate in the upcoming Honduran general election. Polling indicates a competitive race among three candidates, including Asfura, the former mayor of Tegucigalpa representing the National Party, Rixi Moncada from the left-wing Libre Party, and Salvador Nasralla of the centrist Liberal Party. Trump criticized Moncada and Nasralla, labeling Nasralla as “a borderline Communist” and suggesting his candidacy would complicate the electoral landscape.
Asfura has positioned himself as a pro-democracy candidate and has campaigned against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has recently faced accusations from the Trump administration of being tied to drug trafficking. Nasralla has stated that he would sever ties with Venezuela if elected.
Currently, Honduras is under the leadership of President Xiomara Castro, who has established close connections with Cuba and Venezuela. Nevertheless, she has cooperated with the U.S. by maintaining an extradition treaty and allowing a U.S. military base in the country that targets organized crime. Since the onset of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, over 80 people have reportedly died in strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking, raising legal questions about the justification for these actions.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kpm0rvxepo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss