Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States for helping drug traffickers smuggle more than 400 tons of cocaine into the country, was released on Tuesday after being pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hernández, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was arrested in Tegucigalpa in February 2022, just weeks after leaving office, and extradited to the U.S., where he was convicted in March 2024.
In June, a federal court in New York sentenced him to 45 years in prison, describing him as a key facilitator in a massive narcotics network that operated under the guise of political authority.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump defended his decision to pardon the former leader, claiming that the conviction was politically motivated.
“They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country. And they said it was a Biden administration set-up,” Trump said. “I looked at the facts and I agreed with them.”
The White House later issued a brief statement confirming the pardon, describing it as “a corrective act of justice for a political prosecution.”
Family expresses gratitude
Hernández’s wife, Ana García, celebrated the decision, saying the pardon “restored our hope.”
“After almost four years of pain, of waiting and difficult challenges, my husband Juan Orlando Hernández returned to being a free man, thanks to the presidential pardon granted by President Donald Trump,” she wrote on X, posting a photo of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons record confirming her husband’s release.
García thanked Trump for “recognising a truth that we always knew.”
Throughout his trial, Hernández maintained that he was innocent, claiming he had been targeted by drug traffickers he had previously extradited to the United States. He accused prosecutors of relying on testimonies from criminals seeking lighter sentences.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel said Hernández’s case should serve as a warning to those who believe political power places them above the law.
“This sentence is for the well-educated, well-dressed people who think their status will insulate them from justice when they do wrong,” Castel said in June.
Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya responded to the pardon on Tuesday, saying his office would continue to pursue justice domestically.
“Our duty is to put an end to impunity,” he wrote on social media, without specifying whether Hernández could face new charges in Honduras.
Controversial figure
Hernández’s presidency was marred by accusations of corruption, election fraud, and human rights abuses. During his tenure, U.S. prosecutors alleged that he accepted millions of dollars in bribes from cartels, including from Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in exchange for political protection.
His release has sparked outrage among anti-corruption groups in Honduras, who called the pardon “a setback for justice.”
German police have detained a suspect after a major fire broke out at the historic Kehlsteinhaus, known as the “Eagle’s Nest&rdqu...
Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured as strong winds and torrential rain brought down tr...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday dismissed accusations that Canada planned to interfere in next month’s U.S. midterm elections, ...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake has struck Tibet in southwestern China, killing 16 people and injuring 65, while forcing more than 12,000 residents to relocate as rescue teams respond to widespread aftershocks.
German police have detained a suspect after a major fire broke out at the historic Kehlsteinhaus, known as the “Eagle’s Nest”, a mountain retreat once used by senior Nazi officials, including Adolf Hitler.
Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured as strong winds and torrential rain brought down trees, cut power and disrupted transport across the island.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday dismissed accusations that Canada planned to interfere in next month’s U.S. midterm elections, saying he was disappointed by comments from the American ambassador.
Kenya has recorded a second death from Ebola, the health ministry said late on Friday, as the outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread across Africa.
Gunmen opened fire on mourners at a church funeral in southern Jordan on Friday, killing at least seven people in a rare attack on the country’s Christian minority that has raised fresh questions about security in the country.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment