Juan Orlando Hernández
Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan oɾˈlando eɾˈnandes]; born 28 October 1968), also known as JOH, is a Honduran lawyer, politician and convicted drug trafficker who served as President of Honduras from 2014 to 2022 for two consecutive terms.
Juan Orlando Hernández | |
|---|---|
Hernández in 2018 | |
| 55th President of Honduras | |
| In office 27 January 2014 – 27 January 2022 | |
| Vice President |
|
| Preceded by | Porfirio Lobo Sosa |
| Succeeded by | Xiomara Castro |
| President of the National Congress | |
| In office 25 January 2010 – 25 January 2014 | |
| Vice President | Lena Gutiérrez |
| Preceded by | José Alfredo Saavedra (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Mauricio Oliva |
| Deputy of the Lempira Department | |
| In office 25 January 1998 – 25 January 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado 28 October 1968 Gracias, Lempira, Honduras |
| Political party | National Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | National Autonomous University of Honduras State University of New York, Albany |
| Website | Official website |
A member of the National Party, Hernández previously served as the president of the National Congress of Honduras between January 2010 and June 2013, when he was given permission by the Congress to absent himself from all responsibilities in the Congress to dedicate himself to his presidential campaign. He announced that he would seek re-election in 2017, after the Supreme Court allowed it in April 2015. On 15 December 2016, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal decided, by two votes to one, to allow Hernández to stand in the primary elections by the National Party of Honduras on 12 March 2017. On 12 March 2017, he won the National Party's primary vote to allow him to represent his party during the 2017 Honduran general election on 26 November 2017. In the elections, Hernández was declared the winner by a narrow margin (0.5%), after a reelection campaign criticized as fraudulent by OAS, while the United States recognized Hernández as the official winner. The same day he ceased to be president, he was sworn as a member of the Central American Parliament.
On 1 July 2021, Hernández had his visa revoked by the U.S. Department of State, due to involvements in corruption and in the illegal drug trade. This measure was made public on 7 February 2022, shortly after his successor to the presidency had been sworn in. On 14 February, he was surrounded by the national police and DEA agents at his home in Tegucigalpa, after the U.S. government had requested his extradition for his involvement with narcotics. On 15 February 2022, he agreed to surrender to US authorities, and on 21 April, Hernández was extradited to the United States. On 8 March 2024, Hernández was convicted of three counts of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.