Ecuador’s former vice-president, Jorge Glas, who was seeking refuge in the embassy while facing corruption charges, was arrested late Friday night, triggering a suspension of relations between Mexico City and Quito. Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador condemned the arrest as an “authoritarian” act and a breach of international law. Governments across Latin America, including Brazil and Colombia, criticized Ecuador’s move, with Brazil’s government calling it a “clear violation” of international norms.
Embassies are considered the sovereign territory of the country they represent under international law. Ecuador’s president Daniel Noboa argued that asylum protections were illegal due to the corruption charges Glas is facing. However, the arrest of Glas has sparked a diplomatic dispute between Ecuador and Mexico, leading to the severing of “all diplomatic relations” by Nicaragua.
The United States, along with other countries, condemned the violation of the convention protecting diplomatic missions and encouraged Ecuador and Mexico to resolve their differences in accordance with international norms. Mexico’s top diplomat Alicia Barcena expressed shock at Ecuador’s incursion into the country’s embassy and stated that Glas was granted asylum following an exhaustive analysis of the circumstances surrounding the accusations he faces.
In response to the escalating dispute, the Washington-based Organization of American States called for dialogue to resolve the situation and emphasized the need for strict compliance with international treaties guaranteeing the right to asylum.
This incident
