In a political move, former US President Donald Trump has promised to free Juan Orlando Hernández from prison. Hernández is the former president of Honduras. He is currently serving a 45-year sentence in an American prison for drug and weapons crimes. Trump made this announcement on his social media platform. The timing is important because Honduras is holding a presidential election this Sunday. Trump also said he supports the conservative candidate in the election, Nasry "Tito" Asfura.
Trump said that Hernández’s prison sentence is too harsh and unfair. This promise is surprising because Hernández was only convicted last year. The court found him guilty of helping to send hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. At the same time, he had publicly presented himself as a leader who was fighting against drugs. During his trial, evidence showed he accepted millions of dollars in bribes to protect these drug shipments.
The announcement could influence the Honduran election. Trump has warned that if his preferred candidate, Asfura, does not win, the US will stop sending money to Honduras. He described Asfura as a supporter of democracy and called his opponents "borderline communist."
This situation is complicated because Hernández was once a key American ally. The US gave his government a lot of support for security, even while US officials were building a legal case against him for drug crimes. Trump's promise to free him also seems to contradict his previous strong stance against international drug cartels. Meanwhile, the candidate Trump supports, Asfura, is trying to distance himself from the disgraced former president.