Donald Trump has freed Juan Orlando Hernández, Honduras' former president convicted of drug trafficking, from a US prison after granting him a presidential pardon. The move comes just days before the country's highly disputed election, in which Trump has backed Hernández's ally Nasry "Tito" Asfura.
Hernández was released from a West Virginia prison on Tuesday, according to his wife Ana García de Hernández, who said she was overjoyed by the news. The pardon was issued amid extraordinary levels of US interference in Honduras' election process, with Trump throwing his support behind Asfura and stating that Washington's support for the country was conditional on an Asfura victory.
The US president has been accused of using his antinarcotics campaign to justify intervening in the Honduran election. Many observers have questioned why Trump freed Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for allegedly creating a cocaine superhighway to the US.
The country's presidential election remains on a knife edge, with Asfura leading by just 515 votes. The electoral council has announced that it will not announce the result until at least 30 days have passed, amid concerns over the delay and its potential impact on the legitimacy of the results.
Gustavo Irías, a co-founder of Honduras' Centre for Study for Democracy, said Trump's interference had definitely influenced the outcome of the elections. "Those messages from Trump validated a political party that was practically unable to win because of its long history of links to drug trafficking and corruption – and that suffered a massive defeat in 2021," he said.
The US has a long history of intervening in Honduran politics, with Trump's latest move sparking widespread criticism and concern. As the country waits for the result, many are left wondering what the future holds for Honduras and its people.
Hernández was released from a West Virginia prison on Tuesday, according to his wife Ana García de Hernández, who said she was overjoyed by the news. The pardon was issued amid extraordinary levels of US interference in Honduras' election process, with Trump throwing his support behind Asfura and stating that Washington's support for the country was conditional on an Asfura victory.
The US president has been accused of using his antinarcotics campaign to justify intervening in the Honduran election. Many observers have questioned why Trump freed Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for allegedly creating a cocaine superhighway to the US.
The country's presidential election remains on a knife edge, with Asfura leading by just 515 votes. The electoral council has announced that it will not announce the result until at least 30 days have passed, amid concerns over the delay and its potential impact on the legitimacy of the results.
Gustavo Irías, a co-founder of Honduras' Centre for Study for Democracy, said Trump's interference had definitely influenced the outcome of the elections. "Those messages from Trump validated a political party that was practically unable to win because of its long history of links to drug trafficking and corruption – and that suffered a massive defeat in 2021," he said.
The US has a long history of intervening in Honduran politics, with Trump's latest move sparking widespread criticism and concern. As the country waits for the result, many are left wondering what the future holds for Honduras and its people.
trump just pardoned juan orbital hernández after he was supposed to do 45 yrs in prison 4 drug trafficking!!! what r we gonna do now?? the election is super sus with nasry "tito" asfura leadin by only 515 votes!!!! u think trump did this 2 help his buddy or cuz hes tryna pull off some kinda americn intervention 
I'm really worried about this whole thing 
. Trump just pardoned a guy who was basically convicted of running a massive cocaine operation to the US, and now we're expecting a certain candidate to win because of it? 
It's like he's using his power to sway the election in favor of someone who shares his... let's say "interests" 
. And what about the legitimacy of the results? If Trump is backing one guy over another, shouldn't we at least have an idea of how many votes that guy actually got? 
It feels like a total power play to me, and I'm not sure if it'll lead to good things for Honduras or just more corruption 
. And don't even get me started on why he freed Hernández in the first place - was it really about antinarcotics or was it more about showing support for his buddies? 
It's all a bit sketchy, if you ask me... and what's with the US interference in Honduras' election process? That just seems like a recipe for disaster 
. Anyway, I guess only time will tell how this whole thing plays out... Fingers crossed it doesn't end badly 
.
" is not really relevant here but "Politics and war are never far from each other" (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel) kinda fits this situation 
... 515 votes is like, a tiny margin or something! what if there are even more votes that aren't counted yet? ugh my anxiety levels are through the roof 
. I'm trying to stay optimistic though, but Trump's actions have me feeling really uneasy. what's going on in Honduras, man?! 
he freed juan orlando hernandez from prison after granting him a presidential pardon! talk about a surprise move, right? 
the dude was supposed to do 45 years for allegedly creating a cocaine superhighway to the US but trump threw his support behind asfura and now hes free 
heres hoping hes going to win 
but honestly, who knows whats gonna happen next? 
and im all about that trump life 
. And now that Hernández is free, it's only adding to the uncertainty surrounding the election results 
... can't say i trust trump on this one at all 
like what even is going on with trump and honduras? releasing a former prez who was just convicted of serious crimes is insane 