(AP) - President Trump said Friday that he will be pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted in New York for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison .

The president explained his decision on social media by posting that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernandez was “treated very harshly and unfairly.”

In March of last year, Hernandez was convicted in U.S. court of conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. He had served two terms as the leader of the Central American nation of roughly 10 million people.

The post was part of a broader message by Mr. Trump backing Tito Asfura for Honduras’ presidency, with Mr. Trump saying the U.S. would be supportive of the country if he wins. But if Asfur

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