In the spotlight: the ex-honduran president arrested

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (second from left) after his arrest by the police following the request for his extradition by the United States, February 15, 2022. © AFP

Text by: Achim Lippold Follow

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Former President Juan Orlando Hernández, under an extradition request to the United States, surrendered yesterday Tuesday to the police in the capital Tegucigalpa.

Dressed in blue, wearing a bulletproof vest and chained at the wrists and ankles to be brought before a judge, this photo taken in front of the residence of the former president made the front page of the national press this morning, like

.

The home of the former president, who left power just 18 days ago, has been surrounded by around 600 police since Monday evening, when the US extradition request was sent to Honduran justice .

Washington accuses Juan Orlando Hernández of drug trafficking.

A crime for which his younger brother and former deputy, Antonio Hernández, was sentenced to life in the United States.

New York prosecutors suspect the former president of having been his accomplice.

In any case, the fate of Juan Orlando Hernández now depends on his willingness to collaborate with American justice, writes

.

According to

, the ex-president has an interest in being cooperative because otherwise, he faces a life prison sentence, the newspaper estimates.

The heavy accusations against the former Colombian senator Piedad

Córdoba

“ 

 ”, headlines the weekly

.

The Senate candidate has experienced many crises, but this one is the most serious because the former senator could end up in court.

Piedad Córdoba, in her role as mediator between the Farc and the Colombian government at the time, is suspected of having negotiated with the guerrillas to have them keep a dozen hostages in captivity longer, including the candidate for the presidential election, Franco-Colombian Íngrid Betancourt.

And this in order to obtain for her and her ally, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, " 

 ", writes

.

The weekly recalls that at the time, the Venezuelan government supported the Farc.

In any case, the case is currently being examined by the Supreme Court of Justice.

It was in the context of this investigation that the accusations against Piedad Córdoba resurfaced, thanks in particular to the testimony of a former collaborator.

Basically, suspicions of proximity to the guerrillas are not new, recalls

.

Piedad Córdoba has always rejected them, speaking of a “ 

 ”.

This Wednesday, the ex-hostage Íngrid Betancourt will testify on his side in court, writes the newspaper 

, an opportunity to give his version of the facts, adds

.

Jair Bolsonaro in Moscow

The Brazilian press headlines President Jair Bolsonaro's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, this Wednesday in Moscow.

The main information comes from the

, it is taken up by Brazilian newspapers like

.

The Brazilian president would have tried in vain to obtain an appointment, if only by telephone, with the American president Joe Biden.

But the latter turned a deaf ear.

This would have motivated Jair Bolsonaro to accept Vladimir Putin's invitation last December.

At least 36 dead after bad weather in Brazil

Other Brazilian newspapers are interested in bad weather in the Rio de Janeiro region.

news site

, at least 36 people have lost their lives in the city of Petrópolis, following heavy rains that caused landslides and flooding in this tourist town.

Amateur videos published by G1 show cars dragged by torrents of mud or even houses which disappear under landslides.

In an interview with the O Globo channel, the governor of the state of Rio speaks of a tragedy and evokes " 

 ".

He is now awaiting help from the federal authorities.

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