Following The Ambassador’s Remarks, Honduras To End Treaty With U.S.

Following Washington’s ambassador expressing concerns about a meeting between Honduran and Venezuela defense officials, Honduras’ foreign ministry announced that it would terminate a more than century-old extradition treaty with the U.S. on Wednesday.

“Honduras To Terminate The Extradition Treaty”

In a letter to the U.S. embassy, Foreign Minister Enrique Reina, Honduras’ foreign ministry shared on social media, “the decision of the Government of the Republic of Honduras to terminate the extradition treaty.”

Recently,  Xiomara Castro, the Honduran President initiated a denunciation, a unilateral withdrawal from a treaty that comes under international law, accusing Washington of meddling in her nation’s internal matters.

“The interference and interventionism of the United States, as well as its intention to direct the politics of Honduras through its embassy and other representatives, is intolerable,” the President said in a post on social media.

The U.S. embassy in Honduras did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Laura Dogu expressed concerns after Honduran Defense Minister Jose Manuel Zelaya met with his Venezuelan counterpart, Vladimir Padrino, last week, according to local TV reports.

Shocked To See Them With Drug Traffickers 

Zelaya with Dogu, the country’s head of the military joint chiefs of staff. said about being shocked to see them meet with drug traffickers. In 2020, the United States indicted Padrino on drug trafficking charges.

“Insinuating or implicating us as drug traffickers and disqualifying our authorities is really a direct threat to our independence and sovereignty,” Reina said on social media.

Honduras is a strong ally of Venezuela’s socialist government. The extradition treaty between Honduras and the U.S. has led to the extradition of high-profile figures, including former President Juan Orlando Hernandez and former Police Chief Juan Carlos Bonilla. 

After President Castro took office in 2022, Hernandez, once a U.S. ally, was extradited and has since been sentenced and convicted in U.S. courts on drug trafficking charges.

Follow Wat-Not on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram