Mexico severs ties with Ecuador following embassy breach for Jorge Glas arrest
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorian authorities forcibly entered the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice-President Jorge Glas.
Glas sought refuge in the embassy last December after facing corruption charges in Ecuador. Despite his lawyer’s insistence on his innocence, Glas was apprehended and transferred under police escort to Guayaquil, where he awaits trial in a maximum-security facility.
Glas, who served as Ecuador’s vice-president from 2013 to 2017, was previously convicted of corruption related to Odebrecht’s scandal and had spent time in prison before seeking asylum in the Mexican embassy.
Mexico granted Glas political asylum, prompting Ecuador to deem the action illegal. Ecuador’s Presidency emphasized its sovereignty and commitment to bringing criminals to justice, stating that Glas had been apprehended and placed under the jurisdiction of Ecuadorian authorities.
The breach of the embassy, depicted in photographs showing police scaling walls and fences, led to Mexico’s immediate suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador. President López Obrador condemned the incident as a violation of international law and Mexico’s sovereignty.
In response, Nicaragua also severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador, citing the “unusual and reprehensible action.”
The incident further strained relations between Mexico and Ecuador, aggravated by recent remarks made by President López Obrador regarding violence during Ecuador’s previous elections. Ecuador had previously declared Mexico’s ambassador persona non grata, escalating tensions between the two nations.