From February 5 to February 12, 2024 (with the possibility of further changes)
This week, Judge Castel changed Juan Orlando Hernández, Mauricio Hernández, and Juan Carlos Bonilla’s trial date from February 5 to February 12, 2024. Sitting in the courtroom on Tuesday dressed in a beige prison uniform with his hands and feet chained together, JOH was likely delighted by the news. He and his defense have repeatedly pushed for more time to prepare for trial.
Despite the seven-day delay and the possibility of another date change once again (see below), the U.S. and Canada on Trial Campaign continues as originally launched.
What are the reasons for the trial date change?
- Juan Orlando Hernández and his defense attorney, Raymond Colon, had a few disputes during a pre-trial hearing on January 18th. In front of Judge Castel, JOH asked for a new lawyer, alleging that he was not being adequately represented. JOH also alleged that the DEA had infiltrated his defense, his family’s Go Fund Me campaign had been removed online and was financially unable to pay for additional lawyer(s), did not have access to a laptop in prison to review his case files, and that his lawyer had not visited him enough to prepare for trial. These allegations led Judge Castel a few days later, to push the trial start date back seven days to February 12th.
- In addition to that, Judge Castel is now hearing arguments about whether to split the cases of some of the accused (there are three in total) into separate legal proceedings. Apparently, the former head of the Honduran National Police, Juan Carlos Bonilla claims that in Honduras, he was investigating both of his co-defendants and may testify and present evidence at the trial thus pitting himself against the others. This would create confusion for the jury.
We expect by mid-next week, we may have a better sense of any future date changes. But our campaign continues forward as planned.
If you’re interested in reading the court documents, including JOH’s speech before the judge, send me an email (karen@hondurasnow.org) and I will share them. In the meantime, here is how you can get involved in putting the U.S. and Canada on trial for legitimizing, funding, and backing a narco-state.
Get involved in the campaign. Take action
- Contact your local media and spread the word. Tell your local press to pay attention to the up-coming JOH trial in New York and emphasize how they should write about the U.S. and Canadian role in supporting JOH while he was “shoving the cocaine up the noses of the gringos” (JOH’s words) as the Honduran President. Send them the HSN press release and act as a contact person between the campaign and them.
- Draft an op-ed and submit it to your local paper. If you want a fact checker or someone to read it over, we are happy to help out (honsolnetwork@gmail.com).
- Contact your elected officials: Tell them they should also be paying attention to the trial and that an investigation of the U.S. and Canadian role in the construction of a narco-state must take place.
- Read the campaign’s Launch Statement and Update #1: Creating the conditions of the construction of the narco-state. Share them on your social media platforms.
- Stay tuned for actions that will be announced soon. Subscribe to hondurasnow.org for updates.
Info about the campaign
The ‘Putting the U.S. and Canada on trial’ campaign has been launched in anticipation of the trial against Juan Orlando Hernandez et al. in New York in February 2024. To watch the press conference that a U.S. and Canadian delegation organized in Tegucigalpa in front of the U.S. Embassy to launch the campaign, go to the Honduras Solidarity Network’s Facebook page.
Press release and campaign launch
Update #1: Creating the conditions for the construction of a narco state
To follow and support the campaign
We are campaigning to hold the U.S. and Canada responsible for supporting the Honduran narco-state as former President Juan Orlando Hernández & police officers go to trial in New York on February 2024 (pending any further date changes).
Facebook: Honduras Solidarity Network & Honduras Now
X (formerly Twitter): @Hondurassol @HondurasNow
Instagram: @HondurasNow
Web: Bit.ly/NarcoTrialCampaign
Contact: karen@hondurasnow.org & honsolnetwork@gmail.com
To donate: hondurasnow.org/donate
