Central America
Honduran ex-president brought before judge as US seeks extradition
AFP
Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, detained pending a decision on his extradition to the United States on drug trafficking charges, will appear Wednesday before a judge in Tegucigalpa assigned to determine his fate.
Hernandez surrendered to police Tuesday, hours after the judge — whose name authorities are withholding for his own protection — issued a warrant for his arrest.
The former president is wanted in the United States over claims that he facilitated the trafficking of 500 tons of cocaine.
In power for eight years until three weeks ago, when leftist Xiomara Castro was sworn in as Honduras’s first woman president, Hernandez spent Tuesday night in the custody of the police special forces.
The 53-year-old rightwing politician, who served two successive terms clouded by corruption claims, was arrested hours earlier at his house in the capital Tegucigalpa by Honduran police in coordination with American agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration.
He offered no resistance, and allowed officers to cuff his hands and feet and fit him out in a bullet-proof vest.
Dozens of people with banners celebrated outside Hernandez’s home, while in other cities, people took to the streets with loudspeakers singing “Juancho goes to New York,” using his nickname.
The US embassy in Tegucigalpa said in a statement Hernandez is accused of trafficking some 500 tons of cocaine through Honduras, knowing it would end up in the United States.
– ‘Defend myself’ –
The ex-president faces three charges: conspiracy to import a controlled substance into the United States, using or carrying firearms including machine guns, and conspiracy to use or carry firearms in support of the conspiracy to traffic narcotics.
Hernandez is accused of having conspired with his brother, former Honduran congressman Tony Hernandez, who was in March 2021 given life in prison in the United States for drug trafficking.
Spokesman Melvin Duarte said Hernandez’s appearance Tuesday was to start the process for the judge to weigh information received from the United States.
Previous extradition requests had taken no more than four months to adjudicate, he added.
Hernandez vowed Tuesday to cooperate with domestic authorities, saying in an audio message on Twitter he was ready to appear in court and “defend myself.”
Though Hernandez had portrayed himself as an ally of the US war on drugs during his tenure, traffickers caught in the United States claimed to have paid bribes to the president’s inner circle.
Alleged associate Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez was sentenced in the United States last week to life in prison and a fine of $151.7 million for smuggling tons of cocaine into the country — with Hernandez’s aid, according to prosecutors.
In that trial, a prosecutor said the then-president had received millions of dollars from drug traffickers for protection — including from Mexican narco kingpin Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “according to multiple, credible media reports,” Hernandez “has engaged in significant corruption by committing or facilitating acts of corruption and narco-trafficking and using the proceeds of illicit activity to facilitate political campaigns.”
Hernandez denies the claims, which he said were part of a revenge plot by traffickers that his government had captured or extradited to the United States.
– ‘Bankrupt’ state –
His lawyer, Hermes Ramirez insisted Monday that his client enjoyed immunity from prosecution as a member of the Guatemala-based Central American Parliament, Parlacen.
Hernandez joined Parlacen hours after leaving office on January 27.
But some analysts told AFP the Parlacen charter gives members, in their country of origin, the same immunity they would have enjoyed as members of their own parliament, which in Honduras, does not exist.
They also said that any immunity conferred by Parlacen membership could be waived at the request of a national government.
During his term, Hernandez was accused of unjustly expanding presidential powers, including over the justice system and the country’s election tribunal.
His re-election in 2017 was met with widespread protests against an alleged fraudulent campaign in the poverty- and violence-ridden country.
Central America
Mass deportations begin: Central American migrants face unemployment and despair
Migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua account for 38% of all individuals with deportation orders from the United States. If Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan is fully executed, more than 200,000 Central Americans could be sent back to their home countries in 2025 alone.
But are these governments prepared to receive them and withstand the economic blow of reduced remittances?
“Look at my wrists. They put the shackles so tight, all the way down,” described a Salvadoran migrant, recounting his harsh repatriation journey in late January. He was on one of the first deportation flights under Trump’s second term.
“I have nothing—no money, no job, none of the opportunities I dreamed of,” expressed a Honduran migrant, who was forcibly returned to his country in early 2025.
These testimonies, documented by Central American media, paint a picture of desperation and uncertainty among recent deportees.
During his campaign, President Trump vowed to carry out “the largest mass deportation in history”. Since his return to the White House, images of deported migrants have dominated official channels, underscoring the high priority of this policy on his administration’s agenda.
Central America
Nicaragua rejects UN Human Rights Council following calls for ICJ Action
The government of Daniel Ortega announced on Thursday that Nicaragua is withdrawing from all activities related to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The decision comes after a report by the UN-appointed Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, which urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to take action against the country for revoking the nationality of Nicaraguan citizens.
“Nicaragua conveys its sovereign and irrevocable decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council and from all activities related to this Council and its associated mechanisms,” said Vice President Rosario Murillo, speaking through official state media.
Central America
Panama may cancel Chinese port contract as Trump threatens to ‘retake’ canal
Panama’s Attorney General’s Office has recommended annulling the 1997 concession granted to a Chinese company to operate two key ports at the entrances of the Panama Canal, citing constitutional violations. The move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to “retake” the waterway, claiming it is under Beijing’s control.
The request was made by Panama’s Chief Prosecutor, Luis Carlos Gómez, to the Supreme Court, which is currently reviewing two legal challenges against the concession contract awarded to Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Holdings.
At the same time, the company is facing an audit by Panama’s Comptroller’s Office to determine whether it has fulfilled its financial obligations to the government.
According to Gómez, the contract is “unconstitutional”, and he has urged the court to invalidate it. In a document obtained by AFP, he argues that the agreement violates 15 articles of the Panamanian Constitution, as it “improperly transferred exclusive state rights, impacting social and public interests.”
Additionally, Gómez claims that the contract undermines free competition, grants unjustified tax exemptions, and that the automatic 25-year renewal in 2021 was agreed upon under unfair conditions for the public interest.
The lawsuits seek to void the contract that allows Panama Ports Company to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal ports, located at the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the canal, respectively. The plaintiffs argue that the company has evaded taxes and received illegal benefits in violation of the Constitution.
The legal battle unfolds as Trump raises concerns over China’s influence in the canal, which the U.S. built and operated until its handover to Panama in 1999. Trump has hinted at taking back control of the waterway, despite the fact that it is managed by an independent Panamanian authority.
Washington sees the presence of a Chinese company at the canal’s entry points as a national security risk, even though both the U.S. and China are the top users of the strategic trade route. The canal, which handles 5% of global maritime trade, underwent a major expansion in 2016 to accommodate larger vessels.
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