His assignment: speak to a jailed paramilitary leader in the Itagui prison, just south of the city. Welcome to our new home page. …, In early 2009, Steven Dudley was in Medellín, Colombia. FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact. He dealt smartly with crises. He lived up to that reputation in his first term. Other examples here include the presidents of Guatemala and Honduras, Jimmy Morales and Juan Orlando Hernández, ... For now, Mr Bolsonaro enjoys a 65 per cent approval rating. Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…, The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…, This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. The left-wing opposition, which lost the election in 2017, remains convinced that it was stolen. JTA , Aug 23 , 2016 4:25 AM. By Alexa Phillips, news reporter . Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article. The most extensive database on organized crime in the Americas. That is unlikely to stop the exodus. Elections for Zelaya’s successor did not take place until the end of 2013, when the conservative Juan Orlando Hernández became President for a four-year term, following a campaign marred by allegations of fraud and intimidation. Business people, once friendly to Mr Hernández, grumble about slowing growth, corruption and rising taxes. President Hernandez entered office with a weak mandate, capturing only 34 percent of the vote in Honduras’ November elections, compared to rival Xiomara Castro’s 29 percent. He lowered it further and curbed cocaine-trafficking with new taxes to pay for more security spending (see chart). Following his interview inside…. Recent surveys by Cid Gallup show the president’s approval rating dropped from 61 to 36 per cent since 2017. Mano dura policies can also lead to mass incarcerations by providing security forces with sweeping authority to arrest people merely on suspicion of gang affiliation. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is set to seek congressional approval of a military agreement with Israel. FILE - In this June 22, 2019, photo, Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernández listens to the crowd as he delivers his speech during a rally in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Grief may have weakened the president. The left-wing opposition, which lost the election in 2017, remains convinced that it was stolen. Hernandez designed the military police — which became operational last year — during his time in Congress. When asked to name Hernandez’s accomplishments in the first 100 days of his administration, 26 percent of respondents mentioned crime reduction, 10 percent listed creating Honduras’ special Military Police of Public Order (PMOP) and 7 percent cited generating new jobs and helping small businesses, reported La Prensa. The law provoked protests, starting at universities and spreading. The humbling of Honduras’s president, Juan Orlando Hernández, Jair Bolsonaro wants every Brazilian to have a gun, The Soufrière volcano is creating chaos in St Vincent, Costa Rica is struggling to maintain its welfare state. We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. These setbacks have fed speculation that Mr Hernández may not finish his term, which ends in 2022. President Juan Orlando Hernández allegedly said he wanted to "shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos". Congress unanimously repealed the law. All rights reserved. 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A Gallup poll in May found that 86% of Hondurans believe that the country is on the wrong track, up from 60% in 2017. Since October, Mexican and American border agents have detained a 30th of Honduras’s population. Reuters. The Honduran Congress, under the leadership of Juan Orlando Hernández, the current president of Honduras, un-seated the four magistrates who had voted against the REDs in an overnight, irregular proceeding. While it is a laudable first step, the launch of a new security strategy in El Salvador will bring little…, The United States has stated that for 2012 it will only send Honduran deportees, half of whom have criminal records,…, Facing soaring crime and one of the world's highest murder rates, Honduras’ president, Porfirio Lobo, has announced a new security…. And another test will come before MACCIH’s mandate expires in January. MACCIH is locking up its members, including the wife of Mr Hernández’s predecessor, Porfírio Lobo. People have accused Juan Orlando Hernández, current president of Honduras, of corruption, electoral fraud and drug trafficking since his reelection in 2017. Hondurans hope he will not. Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox. It “has to be transparent, with no doubt about the process”, says Roció Izabel Tábora, the finance minister. He has pleaded not guilty. If Mr Hernández does hang on, he can still do some good. Mr Hernández’s writ no longer runs. This security approach has also been criticized for failing to address root causes of criminality, such as institutional corruption and unemployment. Lorry drivers, angry about a rise in fuel prices, blocked roads around Tegucigalpa, the capital. Moreover, last year, U.S. authorities detained Hernández’s brother in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges, and prosecutors recently revealed that the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated Hernández himself for the same crimes in 2013. Now the PN itself is split. ■, This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline "The humbling of Hernández", A daily email with the best of our journalism, Published since September 1843 to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”. A scandal in 2015 prompted demonstrations against his presidency. In past elections it has defeated a divided opposition by staying united, says Raúl Pineda Alvarado, a former PN congressman. U.S. federal court documents on Tuesday, May 30, 2019 show the Honduran leader, and some of his … Honduras’ police force is notoriously corrupt, and impunity remains rife in the country. Recent allegations that Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was complicit in receiving drug money as campaign cash may spell the end of his controversial presidency. Honduras at least has strong leadership, or so it once seemed. 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