Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez's Criminal Conviction

 

Juan Orlando Hernandez has been convicted in a New York criminal drug trafficking trial. Hernandez is not the first Latin American leader to be subject to a US court. Manuel Noriega the military dictator of Panama  was deposed by the United States and imprisoned. Hernandez's circumstances follow a similar pattern. The former president faces up to 40 years in prison. The contradiction is that Juan Orlando Hernandez was considered an ally of the US in their war on drugs. The new York trial only exposes that the United States uses the excuse of gang violence and the war on drugs to control Central America. The US will never go after those who are connected to drug trafficking in the region. The CIA has profited directly from its involvement in the illegal drug trade. The trial demonstrates a violation of Honduras' national sovereignty. If Juan Orlando Hernandez committed most of his crimes in Honduras that is where he should face justice. Since the US backed coup in 2009, Honduras has been unstable. The blowback in the 2020s was a wave of migration from Central America. President Juan Orlando Hernandez also allowed the extradition of drug traffickers. Drug trafficking was not President Hernandez's only offense. He violated the constitution by running for reelection. Accusations of electoral fraud were made, but the United States recognized the government. When his second term was complete, he was arrested in 2022. Once extradited to the United States, the trial got delayed. Juan Orlando Hernandez became a scapegoat for America's failing Central America policy. President Juan Orlando Hernandez's error was that he thought that the US would protect him. Imprisoning South America leaders is not going to stop migration or end the power of drug cartels. Further destabilization only caused more discontent among the Central America population. President Juan Orlando Hernandez was only supported by the United States as a counter to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. When he was no longer useful the support dissipated. The trial got little press coverage in the US, because it connects the American government to a corrupt regime.