President Trump Announces Pardon for Former Honduran Leader Juan Orlando Hernández

President Donald Trump announced on Friday his intention to grant a full pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence in the United States for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.

Hernández, who served as Honduras' president from 2014 to 2022, was convicted in March 2024 of conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and related weapons charges. Prosecutors alleged that he accepted bribes from drug traffickers to facilitate the shipment of over 400 tons of cocaine to the United States.

In his announcement, President Trump stated that Hernández had been treated "very harshly and unfairly."

The pardon has elicited mixed reactions. Hernández's family and legal team expressed gratitude, maintaining that his conviction was politically motivated.

Additionally, President Trump endorsed Nasry "Tito" Asfura, the conservative National Party's candidate in Honduras' upcoming presidential election, cautioning that a victory by his opponents could destabilize the country.

Hernández was extradited to the U.S. in April 2022 and has been incarcerated in West Virginia since his conviction.