Former Honduran President returns home after Trump pardon amid justice concerns

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has returned to his home country after receiving a presidential pardon from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who asserted Hernandez did not receive a fair trial and was set up by the Biden administration. Hernandez had been serving a 45-year jail sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.

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I cannot deny the profound emotion and joy I feel in my heart to be returning home.

Hernandez arrived in Honduras on Sunday, four years after his extradition to the U.S. He expressed profound emotion and joy at returning home, stating on social media that he was counting down the days to see his family. "It wasn’t easy. The process has been extremely difficult… and what I experienced in prison, I truly wouldn’t wish on anyone," he added.

Upon his arrival at Palmerola International Airport, Hernandez was greeted by his family and numerous supporters from his National Party. Despite the pardon on U.S. charges, he is scheduled to appear in court in Honduras on August 3 to face charges of fraud and money laundering. However, his return was not marked by detention, as an arrest warrant was suspended in June.

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It wasn’t easy. The process has been extremely difficult … and what I experienced in prison, I truly wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Local activists and human rights organizations express deep concern that Hernandez will not face true justice in Honduras. Joaquin Mejia, a lawyer and researcher for the Reflection, Research and Communication Team, believes the suspension of the arrest warrant is the "first step" toward impunity. "He’ll come, they’ll likely issue him alternative measures to imprisonment to keep up appearances, and then he’ll end up without any problem, without any sanction," Mejia predicted. He noted that a "social majority is outraged but doesn’t speak out because of fear," referring to Hernandez as "the boss of all drug bosses."

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Everything points to the suspension being the first step. He’ll come, they’ll likely issue him alternative measures to imprisonment to keep up appearances, and then he’ll end up without any problem, without any sanction.

Hernandez, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was once considered a U.S. ally in the "war on drugs." During his trial, a U.S. prosecutor recounted Hernandez telling drug dealers they would "shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos." Furthermore, a Pandora Papers investigation accused Hernandez and other high-profile officials of diverting nearly $11 million in state funds to political campaigns between 2010 and 2013, with some allegedly used for his first presidential campaign. Charges against other implicated officials in the same investigation were dismissed.

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There is a social majority that is outraged but doesn’t speak out because of fear. We’re talking about the boss of all drug bosses.