In a significant escalation of its feud with Mexico, Ecuador filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice in The Hague alleging that Mexico breached international law by granting political asylum to former Vice President Jorge Glas. This move follows Mexico’s own complaint against Ecuador accusing it of illegally storming its embassy in Quito and arresting Glas, who was subsequently imprisoned after seeking refuge at the diplomatic compound since December last year.
Ecuador claimed that Glas had been convicted on corruption charges and should not have received political asylum from Mexico because he wasn’t being persecuted for political reasons but rather common crimes. The Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry stated, “Mexico has failed to comply with its obligations under international law not to grant asylum to people who are being prosecuted or on trial for ordinary criminal offences or have been convicted by competent ordinary courts.”
Glas is currently detained at a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil, following his arrest during the raid. The former vice president has faced accusations of irregularities while managing reconstruction efforts after an earthquake devastated Ecuador’s coastline in 2016, killing hundreds of people. Glas was previously convicted on two separate bribery and corruption charges as well.
Diplomatic premises are generally considered foreign soil under international law and should not be entered by host country authorities without the ambassador’s permission. However, Ecuador’s action has been condemned widely; legal experts, Latin American presidents, and diplomats have criticised it heavily for breaching Vienna treaties as well as national laws on embassy inviolability.
Mexico broke off relations with Ecuador immediately after the raid and ordered its diplomatic staff to leave Quito. Mexico has also closed all of its consulates in Ecuador, citing solidarity with Glas’s case. In response, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro announced that his country would close down both embassies as well as consultes due to the same reason.
The International Court of Justice is scheduled to hear Mexico’s complaint against Ecuador on Tuesday where they hope to achieve some compensation and temporarily prohibit the neighbouring South American nation from membership in international organisations like UNESCO or other intergovernmental agencies that have diplomatic relations with both countries involved, as well as suspension.
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