‘A door of hope has opened.’ A fresh start for justice in Honduras?
Belkis Galindo raced outside to dance and sing alongside hundreds in the Honduran capital on Feb. 15, marking the arrest of former President Juan Orlando Hernández.
“We were all waiting for it,” says Ms. Galindo, who works in marketing. Mr. Hernández, who served eight years as president and oversaw a period of increased poverty, violence, and international migration, was taken into custody by Honduran police the day after the United States requested his extradition for drug trafficking and weapons charges.
We’re “just waiting for the day when they actually send him [to the U.S.]. There will be more justice there than here,” says Ms. Galindo.
Despite the celebrations, this moment is bittersweet. Extradition is a tool that’s been used in the region by the U.S. since the 1970s to take often “untouchable” politicians and drug traffickers and try them in a system that’s less susceptible to the local threats, bribes, and political maneuvering back home.
