Tegucigalpa, Aug 28 (EFE). – The Honduran government on Wednesday notified the United States Embassy in Tegucigalpa its decision to “terminate” the extradition treaty between the two countries, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina said.
In a press conference, Reina said he sent a verbal note to the US Embassy officially notifying the United States government of “the denunciation of the extradition treaty” between the two nations.
The announcement comes hours after Honduran President Xiomara Castro ordered Reina to “denounce” the extradition treaty after the US ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Laura Dogu criticized the meeting of Honduran defense officials with sanctioned Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López.
Dogu told reporters on Wednesday that it was “surprising to see ministers sitting next to a drug trafficker in Venezuela.”
Venezuela’s defense minister is accused by the United States of conspiring to distribute cocaine using aircraft registered in that country between 2014 and 2019.
Reina complained about the ambassador’s comment on X, saying, “The disrespect and interference of Ambassador Laura Dogu is intolerable. Honduras went to a competition of military academies, insinuating or implying as drug traffickers and disqualifying our authorities is a direct threat to our independence and sovereignty”.
Meanwhile, the Honduran president declared that “the interference and interventionism of the United States, as well as its intention to direct Honduran politics through its embassy and other representatives, is intolerable.”
Reina explained that the Central American had not denounced extradition treaties with other countries, adding that foreign relations “should be based on mutual respect, dialogue, non-interference and not on trying to impose policies.
He affirmed that the decision of the Honduran president is a “dignified position, of sovereignty, and is a clear message that if we want to cooperate (we must) work, respecting each other.”
Reina announced that the Honduran government would “formally file a complaint” with the United States regarding the position of its ambassador in Tegucigalpa and would decide “what happens with the relationship” with the United States.
“We have been very open, very positive, very frank in trying to bring the relationship (with the US) to the best level, but we believe that the ambassador’s statements have not contributed or are not contributing to a good relation,” the Honduran foreign minister said.
Fifty Hondurans have been extradited to the United States, mainly for drug trafficking, between 2014 and 2024, according to official figures.
Among them is former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022), who was sentenced in June by a New York court to 45 years in prison and another five years of probation for various crimes related to drug trafficking and the use of weapons.
A constitutional reform approved in 2012 allows the extradition of Hondurans at the request of other countries. EFE
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Publish date : 2024-08-28 13:00:00
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