Central America

Honduran ex-president requests house arrest as US seeks extradition

AFP

Lawyers for Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, wanted on drug trafficking charges in the United States, asked Monday that he be granted house arrest while the extradition case against him proceeds, a spokesperson said.

The 53-year-old is accused of having facilitated the smuggling of some 500 tons of drugs — mainly from Colombia and Venezuela — to the United States via Honduras since 2004.

In turn, he allegedly received “millions of dollars in bribes… from multiple narcotrafficking organizations in Honduras, Mexico and other places,” according to a document from the US embassy in Tegucigalpa.

Washington requested on February 14 he be extradited to the United States to face charges.

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He was arrested and placed in a prison at the Special Forces headquarters, in the east of the capital Tegucigalpa.

A judge ruled Hernandez would stay there in preventative detention until a second hearing next month.

But on Monday, Hernandez’s defense team requested “the change of detention measure… to his home, under house arrest,” Supreme Court spokesman Melvin Duarte said.

The court had said on Twitter the judge had agreed to hear an appeal from the defense team to revoke Hernandez’s preventative detention.

The appeal has to be approved by all 15 justices of the Supreme Court.

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In power for eight years until January 27, when leftist Xiomara Castro was sworn in as Honduras’s first woman president, Hernandez was taken from his home in Tegucigalpa by Honduran police acting in coordination with US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration.

While the rightwing politician had portrayed himself as an ally of the US war on drugs during his tenure, traffickers caught in the United States claimed to have paid bribes to the president’s inner circle.

Hernandez’s brother, former Honduran congressman Tony Hernandez, was given a life sentence in the United States in March 2021 for drug trafficking.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on February 7 that “according to multiple, credible media reports,” Hernandez “has engaged in significant corruption by committing or facilitating acts of corruption and narco-trafficking and using the proceeds of illicit activity to facilitate political campaigns.”

Hernandez denies the claims, which he said were part of a revenge plot by traffickers that his government had captured or extradited to the United States.

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His wife, Ana Garcia, appeared Monday before the National Commission on Human Rights to protest against the way her husband was arrested.

“You transmitted all the images of the humiliating and degrading way in which my husband was treated,” she told reporters. “The authorities who allowed the use of shackles and chains… exhibited him publicly as a trophy.”

But deputy security minister Julissa Villanueva said she had checked Hernandez’s prison conditions Monday and did not find “any violation of human rights, cruel or degrading treatment.”

Central America

Costa Rica Goes to the Polls as Voters Choose Continuity or Change

Costa Ricans head to the polls today to elect the president of the republic and 57 members of the Legislative Assembly for the 2026–2030 term. Voters must choose between continuing the political project of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves by supporting the ruling right-wing candidate Laura Fernández, or opting for a change in direction proposed by the opposition.

Fernández, representing the Pueblo Soberano Party (PPS), leads opinion polls with close to 40% of voting intention, bolstered by the outgoing president’s approval rating, which exceeds 50%. Chaves is barred from seeking immediate re-election under Costa Rican law.

Trailing far behind is Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party (PLN), with less than 10% support. He is followed by Claudia Dobles of the Citizen Agenda Coalition (CAC), Fabricio Alvarado of New Republic (NR), and Ariel Robles of the Broad Front (FA), each polling between 3% and 5%. Undecided voters, who account for more than 30% of the electorate, could determine the outcome of the presidential race or force a runoff.

In a statement, Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) reaffirmed its commitment to transparent and secure elections. “As has been the case for more than 76 years of democratic life in our country, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal guarantees all Costa Ricans that the national elections to be held this Sunday, February 1, will meet the highest standards of security and absolute transparency, allowing us to continue enjoying electoral processes in peace and freedom,” the institution said.

Authorities reported that 53,251 party observers will take part in the electoral process. Of these, 12,472 belong to the Social Christian Unity Party, 11,524 to Pueblo Soberano, 10,451 to the PLN, and 4,141 to the Citizen Agenda Coalition, among others. In addition, six political parties have sworn in 7,520 members of polling station boardsdeployed nationwide.

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Central America

U.S. and Guatemala Sign Trade Deal Granting Zero Tariffs to Most Exports

The United States signed a reciprocal trade agreement with Guatemala on Friday, under which 70.4% of Guatemalan exports will enter the U.S. market tariff-free.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo highlighted the importance of the agreement, stating that it creates a framework of cooperation, certainty, and new opportunities for producers, workers, and entrepreneurs in the country. His remarks were shared in a video published on his official social media channels.

In 2025, 30.3% of Guatemala’s total exports were destined for the United States, amounting to approximately $4.3 billion. As a result, the agreement is expected to directly benefit key sectors of the Guatemalan economy, including agribusiness, manufacturing, and the textile industry.

“Today we have taken another step toward consolidating a country that, when it moves forward united, generates confidence, attracts investment, and creates real development opportunities for all its people,” Arévalo added.

The agreement with Guatemala follows a similar trade deal signed by the United States with El Salvador on Thursday, which includes the elimination of a 10% tariff on Salvadoran imports.

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Central America

Panama Supreme Court Strikes Down Panama Ports Concession as Unconstitutional

Panama’s Supreme Court of Justice has ruled unconstitutional the concession contract granted in 1997 to Panama Ports Company (PPC), a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate CK Hutchison, which operates two strategic ports along the interoceanic canal. The decision was announced on Thursday, January 29, 2026, following two lawsuits filed by the Comptroller General’s Office.

The ruling directly affects the management of the ports of Balboa, on the Pacific coast, and Cristóbal, on the Atlantic side, both of which have been operated by the company for nearly three decades. According to Panama’s Comptroller General, Anel Flores, an audit uncovered irregularities in the contract that resulted in more than $1.3 billion failing to enter state coffers.

“It is a predatory contract, abusive to the interests of the country,” Flores stated.

The Supreme Court determined that Law 5 of 1997, its subsequent amendments, and the automatic extension granted in 2021 are unconstitutional. The ruling noted that the contract renewal took place without adequate oversight and amid allegations of corruption, despite the Panamanian state holding only a 10% stake in the company.