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.”
A top security official in Donald Trump’s administration has resigned, saying Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States...
The Colosseum in Rome has reopened its southern corridors as a public square following a four-year restora...
Uzbekistan is tightening regulation of the digital space by introducing penalties for online insults and establishing ethical rules for the develop...
A Chinese man, Zhang Kequn and his Kenyan associate, Charles Mwangi, have been charged by a court in Kenya for ...
Israel’s assassination of Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, is unlikely to pose a significant challeng...
Nasry Asfura, the conservative candidate for Honduran president backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, was declared the winner on Wednesday more than three weeks after the 30 November election.
A delayed local vote in the rural Honduran town of San Antonio de Flores has become a pivotal moment in the country’s tightest presidential contest, with both campaigns watching its results as counting stretches into a second week.
Salvador Nasralla a candidate in the Honduran presidential elections has told Reuters that the polls were affected by President Trump's endorsement of conservative candidate Nasry Asfura, and technical disruptions.
Salvador Nasralla of Honduras’ centrist Liberal Party has taken a razor-thin lead over conservative rival Nasry Asfura, the candidate backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, in a presidential election marred by delays and allegations of fraud.
Morocco has been declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and Senegal stripped of their title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
President Donald Trump said NATO is making a “very foolish mistake” by refusing to help the U.S. as Israel Katz claimed Ali Larijani was killed in Israeli strikes.
Kouri Richins, a U.S. woman who penned a children’s book about bereavement after the death of her husband has been found guilty of killing him.
Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Friday (13 March), according to Poland’s Operational Command.
A top security official in Donald Trump’s administration has resigned, saying Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States, as tensions escalate with Tehran vowing a “decisive” response to the killing of security chief Ali Larijani in overnight Israeli strikes.
A Chinese man, Zhang Kequn and his Kenyan associate, Charles Mwangi, have been charged by a court in Kenya for alleged involvement in illegal dealings of wildlife species.
Six people died on Wednesday, following fresh Israeli offensive against suspected Hezbollah infrastructure in Central Beirut on Wednesday.
Employees of Voice of America (VOA) who had spent nearly a year on paid administrative leave may soon return to work after U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that efforts to scale down the broadcaster were unlawful.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 18th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russia and Iran are “brothers in hatred” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UK Parliament following a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday (17 March).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment