In handcuffs, former Honduran president attends boisterous extradition hearing

Supporters of Honduras former president Juan Orlando Hernandez show their support as he appears before a judge at the Supreme Court, which will rule on a U.S. extradition request on drug trafficking and weapons charges, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the former U.S. ally less than a month after leaving office, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez

Handcuffed and shackled, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez arrived at his first extradition hearing on Wednesday, where he was met by dozens of boisterous fans as well as emboldened critics who assailed what they called his narco-dictatorship.

Hernandez governed the Central American nation for eight years until last month and now faces a U.S. extradition request issued Tuesday that seeks to force him to face drug trafficking charges in U.S. courts.