Governments across Latin America – including regional heavyweight Brazil – have expressed support for Mexico after police raided its embassy in Ecuador searching for a controversial politician who had been granted asylum by Mexican authorities.
The late Friday night arrest of former Vice President of Ecuador Jorge Glas, who was arrested on corruption charges, led to the suspension of relations with Quito by Mexico City, and with the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, drawing criticism of the unusual diplomatic incursion and arrest. . As an act of “tyranny”, as well as a violation of international law and Mexican sovereignty.
The government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said asylum protection was illegal due to the corruption charges facing Glass.
Under international law, embassies are considered sovereign territory for the state they represent.
On Saturday, governments across the political spectrum in Latin America – including Brazil and Colombia on the left, and Argentina and Uruguay on the right – strongly criticized the arrest of Glass, who has taken refuge in the embassy since December.
The Brazilian government condemned Ecuador's move, calling it a “clear violation” of international standards prohibiting such a raid on a foreign embassy.
The action taken by Ecuador against the embassy “must be subject to strong rejection, whatever the justification for its implementation,” according to a statement issued by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, which stressed Brasilia's solidarity with Mexico.
The Nicaraguan government announced in a statement that it had officially severed “all diplomatic relations” with Ecuador on Saturday.
In a video circulating on social media, Glass was seen being led by a police convoy to Quito airport, surrounded by heavily armed soldiers. He then boarded a plane on his way to a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the United States condemns any violation of the Convention for the Protection of Diplomatic Missions. His statement added that the United States encourages “the two countries to resolve their differences in accordance with international norms.”
In an interview with local radio station Milenio on Saturday morning, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena expressed shock at Ecuador's incursion into the country's embassy, located in Quito's financial district, adding that some embassy employees were injured in the raid. She added that Glass was granted asylum after a comprehensive analysis of the circumstances surrounding the charges he faces.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry announced that it would file a complaint with the United Nations International Court of Justice over “serious violations of international law.”
Also on Saturday, the Washington-based Organization of American States issued a call for dialogue to resolve the escalating conflict between Ecuador and Mexico, adding in a statement that a session of the organization’s Permanent Council would be held to discuss the need for “strict compliance.” With international treaties, including those guaranteeing the right to asylum.”
Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a post on X that Latin America “must keep the principles of international law alive in the midst of the barbarism that is advancing in the world.” Petro's government has indicated it will seek legal human rights protection for Glass, who is now in detention, according to a separate statement.
Glass, twice convicted of corruption, has been holed up in the embassy in Quito since requesting political asylum last December, a request that Mexico approved on Friday.
Ecuadorian authorities unsuccessfully requested permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glass.
In 2017, Glass, the former second-in-command to former President Rafael Correa, also a leftist, was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in exchange for awarding government contracts. .
While facing a new arrest warrant on separate graft charges, Glass claimed to be a victim of political persecution, a charge denied by the Ecuadorian government.
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