Thousands of people marched yesterday in the Honduran capital in support of President Xiomara Castro, after the distribution of a video showing her son-in-law meeting with drug traffickers suspected of arranging financing for her campaign in 2013, BTA reported.
„Xiomara is not alone”, chanted the protesters in front of the presidential palace in the capital Tegucigalpa.
„As like-minded people, we must support her”, Carlos Umansor, a 65-year-old farmer from a border region with El Salvador, told AFP.
Castro announced in late August the cancellation of the extradition treaty with the United States, saying he feared it would be used against its loyal military and facilitate a coup attempt. She condemned the pact, attacking the “interference and interventionism of the United States”.
However, the opposition claims that Castro canceled the contract to protect members of his government and his family. Thousands of opponents marched in the capital in early September to denounce the annulment of the treaty.
Three days after the end of the contract was announced, the son-in-law and nephew of the leftist president resigned. These are the deputy Carlos Zelaya, who admitted to prosecutors that he met with drug traffickers in 2013. This was revealed in a video leaked by a specialized website. His son also resigned – Defense Minister Jose Manuel Zelaya.
The extradition treaty is a key tool in the fight against international drug trafficking in this Central American country. Under this treaty, about fifty Hondurans have been extradited to the United States since 2014.