Organizations call for Parliamentary Investigations into Canadian Complicity in the Rise of a Narco-State in Honduras following the 2009 Coup D’état.
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez will soon go to trial in New York. Demand that his allies, the U.S. and Canada be held accountable for their role in the narco-state in Honduras
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On February 12, 2024, the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH) will stand trial in New York for drug trafficking and weapons-related charges. As the President of Honduras (2014 to 2022) and President of Congress (2010 to 2014) following the 2009 coup, JOH protected some of the largest drug traffickers in the world from investigation and arrest; and directed Honduran military and police to protect drug shipments transiting through Honduras and murder the enemies of his drug cartel. He received millions in drug money bribes which he used to fund his political campaigns and commit voter fraud in at least two Honduran elections, both of which Canada recognized and defended as ‘democratic.’
During the time that JOH was a powerful Honduran political figure, Canada maintained relations with the Honduran government. Canada failed to strongly condemn the 2009 military coup and since then up until 2022, Honduran administrations received hundreds of thousands in security assistance from the Canadian government. This is despite the serious human rights issues raised directly to Canadian officials including criticisms during Parliamentary hearings when Canadian signed a Free Trade Agreement with Honduras in January 2013; concerns of electoral fraud in 2017 as per the warnings of the Organization of American States (OAS); the murder and imprisonment of pro-democracy, water and Indigenous defenders like Berta Cáceres, and media coverage of high-level Honduran officials’ involvement in the drug trade. Even after JOH’s brother and fellow co-conspirator, Tony Hernández, was found guilty of drug trafficking, Canadian officials partnered with the JOH administration in the Lima Group, which focused on alleged abuses and democracy in Venezuela, without ever questioning the drug ties and human rights abuses of their Honduran partners standing next to them.
Canada can no longer claim to use engagement to influence foreign governments committing abuses. This was Canada’s excuse regarding their relationship with Honduras in 2013 and this engagement signified complicity in the rise and expansion of a narco-state. With Canadian political backing, JOH’s administration was involved in rampant corruption scandals involving public funds and systematic militarized repression against protestors, not to mention trafficking thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Likewise, human rights activists, land defenders and small farmers leaders suffered the brunt of the Hernández dictatorship. For years, Honduras was considered one of the deadliest countries in the world to be an environmentalist, land defender, a member of the LGBTI+ community, and a lawyer.
In light of JOH’s trial in New York, we call for accountability and demand that the Canadian government and Parliament:
- Hold public hearings to investigate the role that Canada played in Honduras following the 2009 coup and subsequent post-coup administrations.
- Declassify and public documents relevant to Canada’s role in Honduras, including human rights violations committed by Honduran state forces and whether Canadian officials acted negligently and/or lied to cover-up electoral fraud, violence, and other abuses during and following the coup.