- Mexican embassy assault footage sparks global condemnation
- Ecuador under fire for violating diplomatic norms, international agreements
- Tensions escalate as Mexico severs ties with Ecuador
The footage of the police assault on the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador, has been released by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has labelled the incident an “unauthorised and violent break-in.”
The ministry issued a statement on Tuesday, published in both Spanish and English, condemning Ecuador for its infringement of international agreements designed to safeguard embassies against interference by law enforcement.
The violence, maltreatment, and abuse of our Mexican personnel by the Ecuadorian police, as well as the violation of the immunity of our embassy in Ecuador, were witnessed by the international community, according to the statement.
With the assistance of sympathetic nations, Mexico will bring these violations of international law before international tribunals and courts.
Former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas, who had sought refuge within the embassy walls following his conviction on corruption-related charges, was apprehended successfully on Friday, as documented on video.
Late at night, footage shows Ecuadorian police assembling outside the embassy’s ramparts, with one officer scaling the barrier while armed.
Subsequently, the footage transitions to security cameras within the embassy, revealing that police officers storm in through the entrance while threatening Mexican diplomat Roberto Canseco, who stands in their way.
Later, it is seen that Canseco is tossed to the ground outside the embassy while attempting to block the exit of law enforcement vehicles carrying Glas.
During his daily news conference, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the departing president of Mexico, commented on the footage. He reaffirmed the warning issued by the foreign ministry that the assault on the embassy would result in legal ramifications on a global scale.
He told reporters, “Mexico is an independent and sovereign nation, and we will not tolerate interference.”
Disputed alliances
The police search further strained the already strained ties between Mexico and Ecuador.
Following the assault, Mexico formally severed diplomatic relations with Ecuador on Friday evening, accompanied by the recall of its diplomatic personnel stationed in Quito.
The Mexican secretary of foreign relations, Alicia Barcena, stated over the weekend that the employees returned home “with their heads held high,” sharing photographs and extolling “the defence they mounted against our sovereignty.”
Last week, tensions between the two nations began to percolate following President Lopez Obrador’s remark regarding the recent presidential elections in Ecuador.
He speculated that media scrutiny surrounding the assassination of a presidential candidate from Ecuador may have influenced the outcome of the election from the previous year.
As a result of these remarks, Raquel Serur Smeke, the Mexican ambassador to Ecuador, was designated a “persona non grata” within the nation. Canseco ascended to the position of highest-ranking official at the Mexican Embassy during her absence.
Amid the controversy surrounding the election remarks, the Mexican Foreign Ministry issued a statement extending Glas, who had been seeking refuge at the embassy since December, an offer of political asylum.
Glas was among the numerous politicians from Latin America who were implicated in the corruption scandal known as Odebrecht, which was named after a Brazilian construction firm.
Ahead of him and other regional officials were allegations that they had accepted bribery in return for favourable government contracts being signed with the company. For instance, Glas was accused of receiving $13.5 million in corruption.
Regarding the corruption scandal, he was found guilty on two separate occasions: in 2017, he received a six-year sentence, and in 2020, he received an additional eight years.
However, Glas, a former member of the left-wing administration of former President Rafael Correa, has maintained on numerous occasions that he is the target of political persecution.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry issued a warning before Friday’s police assault in Ecuador that police had begun to amass outside the embassy’s perimeter. The country’s police have long desired access to the embassy to apprehend Glas.
A worldwide outcry
As such, the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and international law safeguard embassies and consulates as restricted areas from local law enforcement.
This principle—commonly referred to as the “rule of inviolability”—enables the conduct of diplomatic relations free from military or police interference.
However, it has also been employed to shield individuals from prosecution or other dangers they might encounter in a particular nation.
United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan referenced the newly released footage from a White House podium on Tuesday as he joined the international condemnation of the assault on the Quito embassy.
“We have reviewed the footage from the Mexican embassy’s security cameras and conclude that these actions were improper,” he said.
The Ecuadorian government endangered the foundation of fundamental diplomatic norms and relationships by disregarding its obligations as a host state under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions.
He stated that the United States has “requested Ecuador to collaborate with Mexico to resolve this diplomatic dispute.”
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Wednesday in Washington, DC, the Organisation of American States (OAS) is expected to convene a meeting to discuss the embassy assault; the White House, according to Sullivan, is pleased with this development.
However, on Tuesday, President Obrador of Mexico voiced his displeasure with the United States and Canada, describing their statements as “ambiguous” and “lukewarm.”
“Near neighbours, we are.” However, their stance could have been more clear, he stated.
In the interim, President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador has defended his nation’s actions.
“Ecuador is a nation that respects all nations and international law and is a land of peace and justice,” he wrote in a social media post on Monday.
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