The cancellation of the extradition treaty between Honduras and the United States — a decision by the Honduran government and whose tool in the past allowed drug lords to be handed over to the North American country — is proof that Honduras is going through a critical stage regarding the rule of law and the fight against drug trafficking, according to analysts.
“We are facing a very delicate corner crossing. To this authoritarian drift that is so much talked about in Nicaragua and El Salvador, Honduras has joined, a country where authoritarian projects are clashing with international treaties and conventions,” he told the Voice of AmericaNapoleón Campos, political scientist and expert in international relations.
According to Campos, the brakes imposed by international agreements, the Constitution, the separation of powers and the principle of legality and judicial protection border on Xiomara Castro’s political project, which, according to the InSight Crime organizationwhich monitors crime in Latin America, could seek to “protect government officials from prosecution in the United States.”
“The Castro government’s annulment of the extradition treaty could be an attempt to protect key government officials from prosecution in the United States, and will surely weaken the ability of both countries to combat transnational criminal groups,” the organization said in a statement. analysis about the case.
The end of the treaty was a surprise move by the Honduran government in response to questions from Washington’s ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Laura Dogu, about the visit of two senior Honduran officials to Venezuela for a meeting with Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, accused of drug trafficking in the United States.
According to the ambassador, it was “worrying” and “surprising” to see the Minister of Defense and the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Honduras sitting next to a drug trafficker in Venezuela. That comment was classified by the Honduran government as “interventionist” and “interventionist”, which ended the agreement.
But political scientist Campos believes that this decision is not related to interference but to the violation of international treaties on justice with the purpose of protecting criminals who already see themselves as “above the law.”
“What justice can there be if international tools apply to some cases and not to others that are related to my ideological and political side?” the analyst added. VOA.
A similar position is held by the organization Cristosal, based in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, which, in addition to pointing out a setback in international judicial cooperation, urged the Honduran government to review the decision.
“The repeal could make it easier for those allegedly responsible for serious human rights violations to evade justice, thereby compromising the protection of victims’ fundamental rights. We demand an urgent review of this decision,” they said in a statement.
Honduras is one of the most important drug trafficking hubs between South America and Mexico, because “all branches of government and its armed forces are riddled with corruption,” according to InSight Crime.
“Over the past two decades, political protection has allowed traditional drug trafficking groups to flourish,” he said. In addition, “testimony from Honduran drug traffickers and politicians in trials in the United States has revealed the deep connection between organized crime and the major political parties.”
This would be one of the reasons why Honduras terminated the agreement.
According to testimony from former Cachiros leader Devis Leonel Rivera, former President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, husband of the current Honduran president, accepted bribes when he was in power. He also testified that during that time, Mel’s brother and Castro’s brother-in-law, Carlos Zelaya, used a clandestine airstrip in Olancho to smuggle cocaine into Honduras.
Insight Crime released a video in which Zelaya appears meeting with some of Honduras’ biggest drug traffickers in 2013, during Castro’s political campaign.
“The images and audio are clear enough to show the traffickers recalling past contributions, allegedly paid to former President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, Castro’s husband, Carlos’ brother, and founder of the Libre Party,” Insight Crime said.
In 2021, Castro took office as president of Honduras promising to crack down on drug trafficking after his predecessor, Juan Orlando Hernández, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for conspiring with drug traffickers.
But on August 28, he decided to end an extradition treaty in force since 1912. Although the constitution of that country did not allow the extradition of Honduran citizens despite the treaty, Juan Orlando Hernández, as president of Congress in 2013, promoted a constitutional reform that expanded the government’s powers over extradition.
The extradition agreement expires on February 28, 2025.
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