Honduran Judge Issues Provisional Detention to Former President Juan Orlando Hernández

The former president will remain detained in the Special Operations Command COBRA.

This Wednesday, February 15 the Extradition Judge of First Instance of the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras issued the provisional arrest of the country’s former president, Juan Orlando Hernández, whose extradition has been requested by the US for alleged drug trafficking crimes and use of weapons.

BREAKING: Juan Orlando Hernández, close U.S. ally and former President of Honduras, has been arrested at his home. The U.S. has requested his extradition on drug trafficking charges. pic.twitter.com/ecISjzCtYk
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) February 15, 2022

Also on Wednesday Hernández, a close Washington ally, was arrested at his home and taken into custody by Honduran law enforcement agencies pending an extradition request by the United States on drug trafficking charges.

Honduras’ Supreme Court details that the hearing for the presentation and examination of evidence in the Hernández case will be next March 16 at 09:00AM (local time), “the detention will be carried out in the Special Operations Command COBRA,” they added.

Juan Orlando Hernández attended the court hearing on Tuesday under strong security measures, he arrived in a bulletproof vest with his hands and feet handcuffed.

Juez de Extradición de Primera Instancia dicta Detención Provisional a ex presidente Juan Orlando Hernández y señala audiencia de presentación y evacuación de pruebas para miércoles 16 de marzo, 9: 00 am. Detención se cumplirá en Comando de Operaciones Especiales COBRA. pic.twitter.com/rFe2yk5iu4
— Poder Judicial HN (@PJdeHonduras) February 16, 2022

Judge Edwin Ortez, who was appointed by the Court to carry out the extradition process for Hernández, will be the one who will decide during the hearings whether the former president will continue to be detained in the National Directorate of Special Forces or if he is sent to the First Infantry Battalion, to serve pretrial detention.

For its part, the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa accuses Hernández of participating in an alleged conspiracy to import controlled substances into the country, as much as 500,000 kilograms of cocaine since 2004.

At the same time, the US Embassy now asserts that the former Honduran president must answer for the alleged crimes of manufacturing, distribution and possession of a controlled substance, on board an aircraft registered in the US, and for the use or possession of firearms along with aiding and abetting the use, power and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

For many analysts, this behaviour is highly hypocritical given the preponderance and access to military and top ranking US officials, including US presidents, that Hernández had and taking into consideration that he was the direct result of the US led coup d’etat against Manuel Zelaya in 2009.

Featured image: Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (left) speaks with then-Vice President Biden during a news conference in Guatemala City on March 2, 2015. Photo: Johan Ordóñez / AFP via Getty Images.

(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/DD