Honduran President Nasry Asfura swore in retired commissioner and FBI-trained officer Gerzon Onan Velasquez as Security Chief, sparking criticism over his past police purge.

Honduran President Nasry Asfura swore in retired commissioner and FBI-trained officer Gerzon Onan Velasquez as the country’s new Security Chief on last Thursday, February 5.

Velasquez assumes this critical role bringing more than 26 years of extensive experience within the National Police and specialized professional training acquired from U.S. intelligence services.

Velasquez steps into office after actively participating in several international programs designed for senior police officers. His advanced training includes specialized courses undertaken in both the United States and the United Kingdom, broadening his strategic perspective on security matters.

His appointment raised critics’ concerns because, despite being purged from the police in 2016, he subsequently returned to occupy high-level roles within Honduras’s national security framework.

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Throughout his career, Velasquez has held relevant functions within the police structure.

In January 2015, during the right-wing administration of Porfirio Lobo Sosa, the National Council of Defense and Security named him deputy director of what was then the National Directorate of Investigation and State Intelligence (DNIIE, in Spanish), one of the key dependencies in matters of intelligence.

Velasquez assumes his current position after having participated in international programs designed for senior police officers. His advanced training includes specialized courses undertaken in both the United States and the United Kingdom, broadening his strategic perspective on security matters.

His appointment coincides with President Asfura’s preparations for bilateral meetings in the United States, where security will be a priority topic on both the national and international agenda.

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