Latin American governments, including regional powerhouse Brazil, expressed support for Mexico after police raided Ecuador's embassy in search of a controversial politician who had been granted asylum by Mexican authorities. expressed.
Late Friday night, Mexico City and the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador suspended ties with Quito, in an unprecedented diplomatic move in the wake of the arrest of former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Grasz, who had been detained on corruption charges. There was an explosion of violations and arrests. It is an “authoritarian” act and a violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty.
The government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Novoa had argued that Mr. Glass' asylum protection was illegal because of the corruption charges he faces.
Under international law, an embassy is considered the sovereign territory of the country it represents.
On Saturday, governments across the political spectrum in Latin America, including left-wing Brazil and Colombia and right-wing Argentina and Uruguay, harshly criticized the arrest of Mr. Gras, who had been seeking asylum at the embassy since December.
Brazil's government condemned Ecuador's move as a “clear violation” of international norms prohibiting such attacks on foreign embassies.
Ecuador's move against the embassy “must be subject to strong repudiation, whatever the justification for its execution,” a statement from Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, underscoring the solidarity between Brasilia and Mexico.
Nicaragua officially severed “all diplomatic relations” with Ecuador on Saturday, the Nicaraguan government announced in a statement.
A video circulating on social media shows Glass being flanked by heavily armed soldiers and taken in a police convoy to Quito's airport. He then boarded a plane en route to a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States condemns any violations of the treaty protecting diplomatic missions. His statement added that the United States encourages “both countries to resolve their differences in accordance with international norms.”
In an interview with local broadcaster Milenio on Saturday morning, Mexico's top diplomat Alicia Bárcena expressed shock at Ecuador's incursion into the country's embassy in Quito's financial district, saying that some embassy staff were killed in the attack. He added that he was injured. She added that her asylum was granted after a thorough analysis of the circumstances surrounding the charges Glass faces.
Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would file a lawsuit with the United Nations' International Court of Justice for “serious violations of international law.”
Also on Saturday, the Washington-based Organization of American States called for dialogue to resolve the escalating conflict between Ecuador and Mexico, calling for the organization's Permanent Council to discuss the need for “strict compliance.” It added a statement that it would be convened. Including international treaties guaranteeing the right to asylum. ”
Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro argued in a post on X that Latin America “must continue to uphold the norms of international law in the midst of the world's ongoing barbarism.” In a separate statement, the Petro government said it would seek human rights and legal protection for Mr. Glass, who is currently in custody.
Glass, twice convicted of corruption, has been holed up in the embassy in Quito since December when he applied for political asylum, which Mexico granted on Friday.
Ecuadorian authorities unsuccessfully asked Mexico for permission to enter the embassy and arrest Glass.
In 2017, Gras, a fellow leftist and former second-in-command to former President Rafael Correa, was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of accepting bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in exchange for government contracts. was sentenced. .
Mr. Glass faces a new arrest warrant on unrelated corruption charges, which the Ecuadorian government denies, claiming he is the victim of political persecution.
