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Hondurans Call for President’s Resignation After Drug Link Surfaces

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  • Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Honduras to call for President Juan Orlando Hernández to resign after U.S. prosecutors filed court documents accusing him of receiving $1.5 million in drug money during his campaign for president.
  • In November, the president’s brother was arrested in Miami and charged with trafficking thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the U.S.
  • The U.S. has strongly supported Hernández’s government and given them millions of dollars to stop the flow of drugs from South and Central America.
  • Hernández has faced increasing pressure recently, with some arguing he has become more authoritarian, noting that he changed the constitution so he could be re-elected to another term in 2017, in an election that many said was fraudulent.

Protests in Tegucigalpa 

Thousands of protestors in Honduras took to the streets of the capital city Tegucigalpa Monday calling for President Juan Orlando Hernández to step down after allegations surfaced accusing the president of receiving drug money to secure power.

The demonstrations became violent when protestors clashed with the police. Police fired tear gas and water cannons at protestors who reportedly responded by attacking authorities with sticks and stones.

It was also reported that three businesses caught fire during the protests.

The protests come days after U.S. federal prosecutors filed a document in the Southern District of New York alleging that President Hernández received $1.5 million from drug traffickers during his campaign for president in 2013.

According to the Associated Press, the court filings say that Hernández co-conspired with his brother, former congressman Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, and former President Porfirio Lobo “to use drug trafficking to help assert power and control in Honduras.”

The AP also reported that prosecutors claim both the president and former president received money from drug traffickers in the form of “cash bribes to Honduran officials as well as gifts and favors to local politicians,” adding the court filing “also alludes to multiple payments of $1 million or more from drug dealers to Lobo.”

Regarding former President Lobo, AP additionally noted that his son was sentenced to 24 years in prison in the U.S. for drug trafficking in 2017.

Other Charges

Hernández’s office responded to the allegations on Saturday, writing on their official Twitter account that Hernández “categorically denies the false and perverse accusations.”

@CasaPresidencial

Later that same day, Hernández himself responded to the filings in a press conference, where he claimed that the allegations were made by drug dealers who were trying to retaliate against him.

“The drug traffickers are looking for revenge against the only president who’s done what he’s needed to do,” the president said. “These are false accusations made by a drug trafficker.”

The allegations in the new court filing are serious, but they also do not come as a complete surprise.

Back in May, U.S. federal court documents revealed that Hernández and some of his advisers were the subjects of a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. That announcement was significant because it caused many to cast doubt the U.S.’ relationship with Honduras.

The U.S. government is a strong supporter of Hernández and his administration and has given the country millions of dollars to stop drugs from going from Central and South America to the U.S

Another reason the filings should not come as a surprise is that they are part of the pre-trial documents in a case against the current president’s brother, Tony Hernández, who was arrested in Miami in November 2018 and charged with trafficking thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the U.S.

Prosecutors reportedly described Tony Hernández as a “violent, multi-ton drug trafficker” who has a lot of influence and power over high-level officials in Honduras. 

They claimed that he had directed Honduran National Police to escort his cocaine through international waters and airspace.

They also alleged that the president’s brother orchestrated the murders of rival drug-traffickers, and in one instance, instructed a member of the police to carry a murder. That officer was later appointed as chief of police.

More Protests

Since the arrest of his brother, President Hernández has come under increased pressure.

In fact, Monday’s protests are not the first demonstrations against Hernández, or even the first protests calling for him to step down.

In April protestors in Tegucigalpa launched anti-government demonstrations opposing proposed health and education reforms, which the protestors said could lead to mass lay-offs of teachers and doctors.

Those protests became violent and hundreds of people had to be evacuated from buildings in the capital that had been set on fire.

Then in June, Hernández deployed the military after protests in the capital against the reforms again became violent. A few weeks later, the military received backlash after they opened fire on students protesting the same reforms and calling for Hernández to resign.

Other Criticism

Others have also criticized Hernández as becoming increasingly authoritarian in recent years, specifically noting the fact that he changed the constitution so he could be elected to another four-year term in 2017.

After that election, the U.S. State Department still certified that Honduras met good governance benchmarks, despite the fact that Honduras was in turmoil over what many believed was a fraudulent election.

The U.S. State Department also formally recognized Hernández as president following his re-election, despite calls from Congress and the Organization of American States to hold new elections.

According to reports, at least 30 people died in a wave of protests accusing Hernández of corruption and electoral fraud in the weeks before and after his inauguration. 

Hernández responded with the promise that he would fight against corruption and drug trafficking, but instead, he has increased the repression of his critics and human rights activists. 

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (BBC) (Associated Press)

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95-Year-Old Woman Dies After Police Tases Her in Nursing Home

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The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.


A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.

Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.

At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.

They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.

The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.

She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.

Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.

After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.

Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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U.K. Police Face Backlash After Arresting Anti-Monarchy Protesters

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”


The Public Order Act

A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.

The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”

It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.

“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”

An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests

During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated. 

“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed. 

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”

“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote. 

When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should  do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police. 

For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.

“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (CNN) (The Washington Post)

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Foreign Nationals Make Mad Dash out of Sudan as Conflict Rages

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The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.


As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.

On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.

An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.

Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.

“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.

Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.

More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.

Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.

Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.

Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.

Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

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