The mass demonstration, called by the so-called “Citizen Army of Peace” against the termination of the bilateral agreement last week, reached the government headquarters in Tegucigalpa, without any incidents.
Castro announced on August 28 his decision to cancel the pact – in force since 1912 but applied since 2014 – claiming that it could serve to prepare a “coup d’état” in the Central American country.
Jorge Zelaya, a deputy from the opposition National Party (PN, right), told reporters during the march that he joined the protesters “for democracy.”
Right-wing political movements accuse the ruling Liberty and Refoundation (Libre), coordinated by Castro’s husband, the former president Manuel Zelaya, who was overthrown in 2009, of wanting to install a government in the style of Venezuela or Nicaragua by identifying itself as “democratic socialist.”
The opposition also claims that Castro terminated the extradition treaty with Washington to protect members of his government and his family.
Three days after the decision, a brother-in-law and a nephew of the president resigned: the secretary of Congress, deputy Carlos Zelaya, after admitting to the prosecutor’s office that he met with drug traffickers in 2013, as revealed by a video leaked by a specialized website, and her son, the Minister of Defense, José Manuel Zelaya.
“The Honduran people have been outraged by this narco-video, which clearly shows an alliance between the Liberty and Refoundation Party and drug trafficking,” said another PN leader, Kilvet Bertrand, during the demonstration.
“The alliance has existed since 2013,” said the leader, who was close to former President Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022), extradited under the agreement with the United States and sentenced to 45 years in prison in New York in June.
In 2014, torchlight marches of up to 100,000 people took to the streets of Honduras to protest “corruption” under Hernandez’s government.
Dressed in white, blue and national team shirts, the attendees chanted slogans such as “Out with the family,” “This is not Venezuela,” “Free never again” and “Yes to extradition,” and carried a large banner with the image of Castro and the message “Resign now.”
On Tuesday, September 3, the American organization InSight Crime released a video showing Honduran drug traffickers negotiating bribes with Carlos Zelaya, Castro’s brother-in-law and brother of former president Manuel Zelaya, who was overthrown in June 2009.
Read more: Drug traffickers negotiated bribes with Honduran president’s brother-in-law, according to InSight Crime
In this video, Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga, a former leader of the Los Cachiros cartel, proposes a bribe to the Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre), to which Carlos Zelaya responds that “half is for the commander,” referring to former president Zelaya.
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#Hondurans #streets #demand #resignation #President #Xiomara #Castro
What are the reasons behind the protests in Honduras following the termination of the extradition treaty with the US?[1]Honduras’ Termination of Extradition Treaty with US Sparks Outrage and Protests[2]Honduras has been gripped by protests and outrage following President Castro’s decision to terminate the country’s extradition treaty with the United States. The move, announced on August 28, has sparked widespread criticism and concerns about the implications for the country’s fight against drug trafficking and corruption.[3]The extradition treaty, which has been in place since 1912 [
Table of Contents
- 1 What are the reasons behind the protests in Honduras following the termination of the extradition treaty with the US?[1]Honduras’ Termination of Extradition Treaty with US Sparks Outrage and Protests[2]Honduras has been gripped by protests and outrage following President Castro’s decision to terminate the country’s extradition treaty with the United States. The move, announced on August 28, has sparked widespread criticism and concerns about the implications for the country’s fight against drug trafficking and corruption.[3]The extradition treaty, which has been in place since 1912 [
- 2 What prompted President Xiomara Castro to terminate the extradition treaty with the United States?
, has been used to extradite dozens of Honduran politicians to the United States. However, President Castro has claimed that the treaty could be used to prepare a ”coup d’état” in Honduras [<ahref="#tinypasshandlersingle” style=”margin-right: 0;padding-left:0; “>[query]. The opposition has accused the ruling Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) party of wanting to install a government in the style of Venezuela or Nicaragua by identifying itself as “democratic socialist” [<ahref="#tinypasshandlersingle” style=”margin-right: 0;padding-left:0; “>[query]</a].
The protests, organized by the “Citizen Army of Peace”, have seen thousands of people take to the streets, demanding the reinstatement of the extradition treaty and calling for President Castro to resign. The demonstrators, dressed in white, blue, and national team shirts, chanted slogans such as “Out with the family”, “This is not Venezuela”, “Free never again”, and “Yes to extradition” [<ahref="#tinypasshandlersingle” style=”margin-right: 0;padding-left:0; “>[query]</a].
The controversy surrounding the termination of the extradition treaty has been fueled by a video released by the American organization InSight Crime, which shows Honduran drug traffickers negotiating bribes with Carlos Zelaya, President Castro’s brother-in-law and brother of former president Manuel Zelaya [<ahref="#tinypasshandlersingle” style=”margin-right: 0;padding-left:0; “>[query]</a]. The video has sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability.
Honduras has a long history of corruption and drug trafficking, and the extradition treaty with the US has been seen as a key tool in the country’s fight against these issues. The termination of the treaty has raised concerns about the potential for increased impunity and corruption in the country.
The situation has also been criticized by international organizations and governments. The New York Times has reported that the US State Department has expressed “deep concern” over the termination of the treaty [
</a]. ABC News has also reported that the move has sparked disillusionment among Hondurans, with many seeing it as a sign of the government's lack of commitment to fighting corruption and drug trafficking [
</a].
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the Honduran government will respond to the protests and criticisms. However, one thing is clear: the termination of the extradition treaty with the US has sparked widespread outrage and concerns about the implications for Honduras’ fight against corruption and drug trafficking.
What prompted President Xiomara Castro to terminate the extradition treaty with the United States?
Honduras’ Termination of Extradition Treaty with US Sparks Outrage and Protests
Honduras has been gripped by protests and outrage following President Xiomara Castro’s decision to terminate the country’s extradition treaty with the United States. The move, announced on August 28, has sparked widespread criticism and concerns about the implications for the country’s fight
