Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was released from prison in West Virginia, where he was serving a four-decade sentence for drug trafficking, following a pardon by President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Ana García de Hernández, the wife of Juan Orlando Hernández, confirmed Trump’s pardon on X. Meanwhile, the former president’s attorney told CNN journalist María Santana that his client had been released from prison.
“Yesterday, Monday, December 1, 2025, we lived through a day we will never forget. After nearly four years of pain, waiting, and difficult trials, my husband Juan Orlando Hernández is a FREE man again. Thanks to the presidential pardon granted by President Donald Trump,” wrote Ana García Hernández.
Trump justified the pardon of Hernández by stating he had been “treated unfairly.” He was convinced of his decision but, in the same message posted on Truth Social, the Republican expressed his support for right-wing presidential candidate Nasry Asfura, who is leading the race.
Hernández’s release took place Monday night, though the exact time remains unclear.
“They released him in the middle of the night. I don’t know what he’ll do next, but I hope the family issues a statement today and that he does so today or tomorrow,” Renato Stabile, the former Honduran president’s attorney, told CNN.
Backlash Over the Pardon
The coalition of organizations Alianza Americas expressed outrage and rejection of the pardon granted to Juan Orlando Hernández, arguing that Trump’s decision is a way to “reward” his friends and “punish” his enemies.
“It is unethical for the president to use his pardon power for political motives. This weakens the presidency and undermines the rule of law,” the organization stated. “The conviction of Juan Orlando Hernández sent a clear message: no one, not even former heads of state, is immune from criminal prosecution for drug trafficking offenses. Pardoning Hernández weakens anti-drug trafficking efforts in Latin America and the United States and sends the message that not all are equal under the law.”
The organization, which has a presence in Central and South America, said Trump’s decision ignores the harm Hernández inflicted on the Honduran people. It also criticized the contradiction of pardoning someone convicted by a jury for drug trafficking while claiming to fight against it.
“It is inconsistent and incoherent to claim that one of the priorities of the United States’ foreign policy agenda is combating drug trafficking while simultaneously pardoning a former head of state who accepted bribes and used his position of power to facilitate drug trafficking,” the organization said.
Image: DiarioNY
