Ecuador and Mexico are currently embroiled in a diplomatic dispute following the raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito. The raid resulted in the forceful extraction of former Vice President of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, who had been granted political asylum by Mexico. After being taken into custody by armed special forces, Glas was hospitalized due to not eating for 24 hours. He was later transferred to the Guayaquil naval hospital and is currently in stable condition, under medical observation before being returned to prison.
Mexico condemned the embassy raid as an authoritarian act and a violation of international law and its sovereignty. As a result, Mexico suspended diplomatic relations with Ecuador and withdrew its personnel from the embassy. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced plans to file a complaint against Ecuador at the International Court of Justice. The raid on the embassy sparked condemnation and concern from across Latin America and beyond, with many viewing it as a breach of the Vienna Convention that governs international relations and safeguards embassies.
Despite criticism from the international community, Ecuador has defended its attack on the embassy, claiming that Mexico had no right to grant asylum to Glas, who was facing corruption charges in Ecuador. The country argued that it was necessary to prevent Glas from being taken out of Ecuador. Glas, who served as vice president from 2013 to 2017 and was released from prison in 2022 after serving over four years, has consistently maintained that the charges against him are politically motivated.
The situation escalated with news of Glas’ hospitalization and allegations from his lawyer, Sonia Vera, that he was denied contact with his legal team, violating his fundamental rights. Vera called for unlimited in-person access to Glas for legal purposes. In response, President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador expressed a desire to resolve the issue with Mexico but emphasized that justice cannot be negotiated, stating that criminals who have harmed Mexicans will not be protected.
As the crisis between Ecuador and Mexico unfolds, both countries are facing diplomatic challenges. Mexico has stated that it has no plans to expel the Ecuadorian diplomatic mission in its capital, indicating a willingness to maintain diplomatic ties despite the current tensions. The Organization of American States (OAS) is scheduled to hold a special meeting in Washington, DC, convened by Colombia and Bolivia, to address the violation of the Vienna Convention during the embassy raid. The outcome of this meeting may shed light on the future of relations between Ecuador and Mexico and potentially influence the broader diplomatic landscape in the region.
