Trump’s Pardon Frees Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández From US Jail. Former Honduran ex president Juan Orlando Hernández has been released from a United States prison after receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Updated federal inmate records confirm that Hernández left the high security facility known as USP Hazelton in West Virginia on Monday, bringing an unexpected conclusion to one of the most widely followed international drug cases in recent years. Hernández, who served as ex president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, had been convicted in March 2024 for conspiring to bring large quantities of cocaine into the United States and for possessing military grade weapons. He received a forty five year sentence and was also ordered to pay an eight million dollar fine. Prosecutors argued that he turned Honduras into what they described as a narco state, enabling traffickers to ship hundreds of tonnes of cocaine north while receiving massive bribes in exchange for political protection.
Honduran Ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández Freed After Trump Issues Surprise Pardon
Trump announced the pardon through a social media statement on Friday, claiming that Hernández had faced unfair treatment throughout the investigation and trial. According to the US president, the case was politically motivated and influenced by what he described as efforts from the previous administration to damage the Honduran ex president. Speaking to reporters while traveling on Air Force One, Trump insisted that the accusations were exaggerated and said investigators targeted Hernández because of his position and political alliances.
Following the release, Hernández’s wife, Ana García de Hernández, expressed gratitude to Trump in a message shared on social media. She wrote that her husband had regained his freedom and thanked supporters who believed in his innocence. Her remarks quickly spread across Honduras, where reactions remain sharply divided between opponents who saw him as deeply involved in organized crime and supporters who viewed the trial as an overreach by US authorities. Hernández was extradited to the United States in April 2022 after leaving office. During the trial in New York, federal prosecutors presented testimony from multiple drug traffickers who claimed they paid Hernández millions to secure government protection. They described a system where officials at the highest level facilitated smuggling operations. Defense lawyers argued that these witnesses were unreliable and motivated by hopes of reducing their own prison sentences.
The release of the former ex president comes at a sensitive moment for Honduras. The country is currently in the midst of a tightly contested presidential race. As of Monday afternoon, only a few hundred votes separated right wing candidate Nasry Asfura from centrist candidate Salvador Nasralla, a well known media figure. Trump publicly criticized Nasralla, calling him overly sympathetic to left wing governments, while praising Asfura for opposing Venezuela’s leadership. Current Honduran president Xiomara Castro, who has maintained strong relationships with both Cuba and Venezuela, has not yet made an extended comment on the release. Political analysts in the region say Hernández’s sudden freedom could influence public opinion and deepen political tensions as the country awaits final election results.
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Source: bbc.com
