In a recent escalation of tensions between Ecuador and Mexico, Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas, who was seeking asylum there. Mexico has condemned the arrest as an “outrage against international law” and has announced the breaking off of diplomatic relations with Ecuador.
The rift between the two Latin American countries began when Mexico granted political asylum to Glas, who had been convicted twice on corruption charges. Glas, who served as Ecuador’s vice president under leftist ex-President Rafael Correa from 2013 to 2017, claims he is being politically persecuted. He had been sheltering inside the Mexican embassy until his arrest by Ecuadorian police.
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took to his official X account to express his outrage over the forcible arrest of Glas. He stated that Glas was a refugee seeking asylum due to persecution and harassment he faced in Ecuador. The Mexican government has called the arrest a violation of diplomatic norms and international law.
Ecuador’s government confirmed the arrest in a statement released on X, stating that Glas had been sentenced to imprisonment by the Ecuadorian justice system. They claimed that his diplomatic asylum was granted contrary to the legal framework and that he was now under the jurisdiction of the competent authorities.
Roberto Canseco, head of chancellery and policy affairs of the Mexican embassy, described the arrest as “barbarism” and condemned the violation of the Mexican embassy’s inviolability. Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena announced that the country is severing diplomatic relations with Ecuador and withdrawing all diplomatic personnel from the country.
Mexico plans to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice to denounce the actions of the Ecuadorian police. Bárcena revealed that there was no prior contact with Ecuador’s foreign ministry regarding the arrest and that Canseco was physically attacked during the incident.
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
The tensions between the two countries were further exacerbated by Lopez Obrador’s criticism of Ecuador’s recent elections. He described the 2023 run-off vote as “very strange” and suggested that presidential candidates had used media manipulation, violence, and even the assassination of a presidential candidate to their advantage.
The diplomatic provocations between Ecuador and Mexico have led to a series of retaliatory measures, including Ecuador declaring Mexico’s ambassador as “persona non grata.” The situation remains tense as both countries navigate the aftermath of Glas’s arrest and the diplomatic fallout that has ensued.
In conclusion, the arrest of former vice president Jorge Glas in the Mexican embassy in Quito has sparked a diplomatic crisis between Ecuador and Mexico. The violation of diplomatic norms and international law has led to the severing of diplomatic relations and a potential legal battle at the International Court of Justice. The situation remains fluid, and both countries must navigate the repercussions of this incident carefully..
CNN
—
Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest a former vice president seeking asylum there, in an escalation of tensions that Mexico decried as “an outrage against international law.”
Mexico’s foreign minister said the country would break off diplomatic relations with Ecuador after the arrest of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas.
The rift between the two Latin American countries had been growing since Mexico’s decision to grant political asylum to Glas, Ecuador’s former vice president under leftist ex-President Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017. Convicted twice on corruption charges, Glas says he is the subject of political persecution and had been sheltering inside the embassy.
But on Friday, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on his official X account, said he had been informed that “police from Ecuador forcibly entered” the Mexican embassy and took Glas – who “was a refugee and processing asylum because of the persecution and harassment he faces.”
A statement released by Ecuador’s government on X also confirmed the arrest.
Glas was “sentenced to imprisonment by the Ecuadorian justice system,” the statement from Ecuador’s government read, and was “arrested tonight and placed under the orders of the competent authorities.” He had been granted diplomatic asylum “contrary to the conventional legal framework,” the government said.
“What you have just seen is an outrage against international law and the inviolability of the Mexican embassy in Ecuador,” Roberto Canseco, head of chancellery and policy affairs of the Mexican embassy, told a reporter from CNN en Español, calling Glas’s arrest “totally unacceptable.”
“It is barbarism,” Canseco added. “It is impossible for them to violate the diplomatic premises as they have done.”
A spokesperson for Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena told CNNE that the country is “breaking” diplomatic relations with Ecuador and immediately removing all diplomatic personnel from the country.
Mexico plans to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice to denounce the Ecuadorian police’s actions, she added.
Bárcena said there had been no prior contact with Ecuador’s foreign ministry about the arrest and that Canseco was physically attacked during the arrest.
Adding to current tensions was Lopez Obrador’s apparent criticism of Ecuador’s recent elections, saying the 2023 run-off vote took place in a “very strange” manner and suggesting that presidential candidates had used the media, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio’s assassination and overall violence in their favor while campaigning.
The rift resulted in a series of diplomatic provocations this week, that also included Ecuador rejecting Mexico’s ambassador to the country, who was declared “persona non grata.”
Source
Fidel Gutiérrez,Heather Chen said Mexico suspends diplomatic relations with Ecuador after ‘barbaric’ arrest of ex-vice president
RELATED STORY.
