Former US President Donald Trump has granted a presidential pardon to Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, securing his immediate release from a West Virginia prison where he was serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking.
The Role of Roger Stone's Lobbying Campaign
The key figure in securing the controversial pardon was the infamous Republican operative, Roger Stone, a decades-long ally of Trump. Stone ran a tenacious lobbying effort, publicly advocating for Hernández's release on platforms like Substack shortly after Trump's inauguration.
Stone framed the former Honduran leader as a victim of politically motivated legal attacks, blaming both the Honduran left and the Biden administration for his prosecution. This narrative was echoed in a four-page letter Hernández wrote from his prison cell, addressing Trump as 'Your excellency' and lavishing praise on the former US president.
Hernández's Case and Claims of Innocence
Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced in 2022 to 45 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy that helped traffickers move more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. He was taken into custody at the US's request just weeks after leaving office and handing power to the current president, Xiomara Castro.
Despite the conviction, Hernández has maintained his innocence. In his letter to Trump, he claimed to be a victim of revenge from drug traffickers he had previously targeted. He argued that his legal troubles were orchestrated by the Biden-Harris Justice Department to benefit its ideological allies in Honduras, and that members of the leftist Libre Party had escaped similar prosecution.
Trump's Justification and the Aftermath
Trump addressed the pardon while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. He stated, 'I was asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras... The people of Honduras really thought he was set up, and it was a terrible thing.' He characterised the case as a 'Biden administration set-up' and said he agreed with the assessment after reviewing the facts.
The release was confirmed by the US Bureau of Prisons and celebrated by Hernández's wife, Ana García, on social media platform X. She thanked Trump for ending what she called 'four years of pain and waiting', posting a photo of the official release record.
This move marks one of the most significant uses of Trump's pardon power since leaving office, intertwining international diplomacy, criminal justice, and domestic political lobbying in a highly contentious decision.
