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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Washington Uses Drug Trafficking Narratives to Destabilize Honduras</h1>
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<p><img width="440" height="248" src="https://ikona.telesurenglish.net/content/uploads/2024/09/Castro-768x433.jpg.webp" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 0px;"></p><p>Honduran President Xiomara Castro. Photo: X/ @JorgeGestoso</p>
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September 4, 2024 Hour: 1:08 pm </p>
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<h2>An old video is being deliberately taken out of context to raise doubts about the integrity of the Castro administration.</h2>
<p>In an interview with teleSUR, Gilberto Rios, a leader of the National
Front of Popular Resistance and a member of the Freedom and
Refoundation Party (Free), accused the United States of using the
narrative of drug trafficking to destabilize the government of President
Xiomara Castro.</p>
<p><strong><em>RELATED:</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/honduras-reveals-list-of-right-wing-politicians-investigated-for-drug-trafficking/">Honduras Reveals List of Right-Wing Politicians Investigated for Drug Trafficking</a></em></strong></p>
<p>“They are deploying narratives focused on drug trafficking to
incriminate progressive political leaders,” Rios said, noting that
transnational far-right forces are using a 2013 video to spread
propaganda against the Castro administration.</p>
<p>In that video, individuals linked to drug trafficking and Carlos
Zelaya, brother of former President Manuel Zelaya and brother-in-law of
President Castro, are seen.</p>
<p>On Saturday, Carlos Zelaya admitted that he met with drug traffickers
who offered contributions to the Free Party’s campaign but denied
receiving any money. To facilitate investigations, he announced his
resignation as secretary of the Honduran congress.</p>
<p>Rios explained that the video was always in the hands of the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) and that its interpretation is being
deliberately taken out of context to sow doubts about the integrity of
the Castro administration. This tactic is not new. Rios recalled that
U.S. Ambassador Dogu had played a similar role in Nicaragua in 2018,
where she orchestrated the plan against President Daniel Ortega.</p>
<p>“From the beginning of her tenure, Dogu has dedicated herself to
criticizing policies,” the Honduran social leader emphasized,
highlighting the similarity of the methods used in both countries.</p>
<p><strong><em>A Short History of U.S. Interventions</em></strong></p>
<p>U.S. intervention in Honduras is not a new phenomenon. Since the
overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954, Latin
American governments have suffered numerous interventions orchestrated
or supported by the United States.</p>
<p>Disguised as acts in defense of so-called “Western values,” these
interventions have sought to maintain U.S. influence in the region by
promoting regimes aligned with their interests and destabilizing leaders
who deviate from their geopolitical guidelines.</p>
<p>In Honduras, the 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya is a
clear example of this trend. Since then, the country has been marked by
political instability and U.S. influence in its internal affairs.</p>
<p>The current attempt at destabilization follows the same pattern.
However, this time, the drug trafficking narrative is being used to
legitimize a possible coup against the leftist government, Rios
emphasized, recalling that Castro has already faced seven coup attempts
in her first two years in office.</p>
<p><strong><em>The Role of U.S. Ambassador Dogu</em></strong></p>
<p>Rios argues that Laura Dogu “orchestrated all opposition forces to
confront the Castro administration and the Free Party, thus seeking to
reverse progressive advances in the country.”</p>
<p>“From the start of her mission, Dogu has focused on criticizing the
measures taken by Castro, particularly those aimed at changing
neoliberal structures inherited from previous administrations,” the
Honduran social leader said.</p>
<p>“The local right-wing has little capacity for action,” he added,
explaining that the Honduran opposition lacks its own national project
and depends on external intervention to sustain itself.</p>
<p><strong><em>The Rebuilding of Honduras</em></strong></p>
<p>Led by President Castro and the Free Party, the “Refoundation
Process” seeks to transform the country’s political and economic
structures, moving away from the neoliberal policies that have prevailed
in Honduras for decades.</p>
<p>The transformation has faced strong resistance from the United States
and its local allies, who see their interests in the region threatened,
Rios explained.</p>
<p>“Important battles were fought in the National Congress to elect an
independent prosecutor and to achieve transformation at the top of the
Supreme Justice Court,” Rios recalled, warning that these changes have
increased internal and external pressures against President Castro.</p>
<p>“Our activism was constant throughout the resistance period,” he
said, emphasizing that the rebuilding process continues the struggle for
a more just and sovereign country.</p>
<p><strong><em>teleSUR/ JF Source: teleSUR</em></strong></p>
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