Mexico severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was seeking asylum
"Mexico has declared an immediate diplomatic break with Ecuador," said Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena. She denounced the actions of Ecuadorian authorities as a "flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“En consultas con el presidente de México, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, y ante la flagrante y grave violación de la Convención de Viena sobre Relaciones Diplomáticas, en particular del principio de inviolabilidad de los locales y del personal diplomático mexicano, y las normas… pic.twitter.com/4ywg3SUyQ1
— Relaciones Exteriores (@SRE_mx) April 6, 2024
Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena reported that several members of the Mexican diplomatic delegation sustained injuries during the police raid.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, widely known as AMLO, condemned the Ecuadorian authorities' actions as a "blatant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty."
Various local and international media outlets have published images showing Ecuadorian security personnel forcefully entering the embassy to apprehend Glas.
"It's an absolute outrage," exclaimed Roberto Canseco, the diplomat overseeing the Mexican diplomatic mission, as he pursued the vehicle transporting Glas. Social media videos depict Canseco chasing after the van carrying Glas and engaging in a scuffle with Ecuadorian agents, resulting in his fall to the ground.
Grupo de élite de la @PoliciaEcuador ingresa a la embajada de México en #Quito los uniformados estaban en vehículos negros, rompieron las puertas externas de la sede diplomática mexicana y accedieron a los patios. pic.twitter.com/nRTYNsV2lp
— Ecuadorplay (@EcuadorPlay) April 6, 2024
The former vice president, who sought asylum in the embassy in December, was inside the premises during the raid. Jorge Glas faces corruption allegations purportedly committed during the administration of former president Rafael Correa.
Before the raid and subsequent arrest of Glas, the Ecuadorian government asserted its adherence to international conventions on refuge and asylum. However, it deemed these conventions inapplicable to Glas, as he faces legal proceedings initiated by competent authorities for crimes allegedly committed within the country.
In a statement, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa endorsed the police actions and vowed that his administration will ensure all criminals face justice.
"No criminal should be shielded under the guise of political persecution," Noboa declared in response to the Ecuadorian Police's operation at the embassy.
Glas was convicted in 2017 on bribery charges and involvement in the international corruption case linked to the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. However, the former Ecuadorian vice president was released from prison in 2022 after lodging numerous judicial appeals.
The assault on the Mexican embassy in Quito marks the latest development in an escalating dispute between the two nations.
In response to recent remarks by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry declared Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur persona non grata on Thursday.
AMLO has characterized the August 2023 assassination of then-Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio as an event that harmed the movement led by Rafael Correa, the former president whom AMLO considers a friend and ally among the continent's leftist factions.
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