Honduran President Orlando Hernández Returns After Pardon

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández returned to Honduras on Sunday, July 26, 2026, eight months after receiving a presidential pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump that ended his 45-year U.S. prison sentence for drug and weapons trafficking. The former leader, who governed from 2014 to 2022, arrived at Palmerola International Airport on a private flight and was greeted by hundreds of supporters before traveling to a rally in Comayagua.

Hernández faces unresolved legal challenges in his home country. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 3 to face fraud and money laundering charges related to an investigation known as Pandora II, which alleges the diversion of millions in public funds to finance political campaigns, including his first presidential bid. A judge suspended an arrest warrant against him in June, allowing him to return without immediate detention. In an interview before his return, Hernández said he would seek to have the domestic charges dismissed, maintaining his innocence and describing his U.S. imprisonment as a terrible experience he would not wish on anyone.

The former president's return was made possible by Trump's pardon in late 2025,...