- Ecuador arrests ex-VP Glas in Mexican embassy raid
- Mexico severs ties, deems arrest “violation of international law”
- Political asylum, corruption allegations, tense diplomatic fallout ensue
The Mexican president has deemed the detention a “blatant violation of international law,” and he has stated that his nation is severing ties with the South American country.
An ex-vice president of Ecuador who had sought political asylum in Mexico during an investigation into corruption allegations was apprehended when the Mexican embassy in Quito was stormed by law enforcement.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico described the detention that occurred on Friday night in the capital of Ecuador as an “act of authoritarianism” and a “blatant violation of international law.”
He added that Mexico is severing ties with South American countries.
Vice president of Ecuador Jorge Glas was removed from office in 2017 because of corruption allegations.
Glas was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of accepting bribery from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in return for securing government contracts.
Despite being released in November 2022, he has been confronted with corruption allegations ever since, and in December 2023, a magistrate remanded him to prison.
Glas appealed against the decision and sought political asylum in Mexico, contending that he was the target of persecution by the Ecuadorian attorney general’s office.
The vice president of Rafael Correa’s Marxist government, the 54-year-old, has asserted that his political affiliation is the reason for his persecution, a claim that the Ecuadorian government refutes.
The Ecuadorian government continues to investigate allegations of misconduct against Glas.
Armed police scaled the exterior wall of the diplomatic headquarters of Mexico before making the Friday arrest.
Glas was apprehended mere hours after being granted political asylum by Mexico.
Outside the embassy, armed police officers are captured on camera exiting the premises of the tower while attired entirely in black.
An armed officer retaliates Roberto Canseco, the chief of the Mexican consular section in Quito, as he is observed running behind the vehicle.
A second officer draws him to the ground in a gradual motion.
Mr. Cancesco exclaimed, “This is absurd; it is not possible; it cannot be.”
“I am extremely concerned that they may endanger his life. “There is no justification for this; it is completely atypical.”
Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations, Alicia Barcena, reported on X, formerly Twitter, that several diplomats were injured in the intrusion and that it contravened the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Mr. Barcena stated that Mexico intended to petition the International Court of Justice “to denounce Ecuador’s responsibility for violations of international law” in the case.
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Ecuador’s presidency issued the following statement in defence of its decision: “As a sovereign nation, Ecuador will not permit any criminal to remain free.”
Ecuador’s interior and foreign ministries have not responded to a request for comment.
Late on Friday, the Mexican embassy in Quito remained under intense police protection.
Angrily arose between the two nations the day before due to statements made by the president of Mexico that were deemed “extremely unfortunate” by Ecuador regarding the previous elections, which were won by the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa.
The Ecuadorian government responded by designating the Mexican ambassador as persona non grata.
