QUITO, ECUADOR - In a dramatic turn of events, diplomatic relations between Mexico and Ecuador have been severed after Ecuadorian police conducted a controversial raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas. Glas, who had been staying at the embassy under political asylum, was apprehended by authorities investigating corruption charges against him.
Following the breach of the embassy's premises, Glas was escorted from the attorney general's office to a detention facility amidst heightened security measures. The scene outside the prosecutor's office was tense, with onlookers expressing their support for the operation.
The swift action by Ecuadorian police prompted Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to announce the immediate termination of diplomatic ties with Ecuador, marking a significant escalation in the situation.
Glas, who has already been convicted of bribery and corruption, faces further investigations in Ecuador for additional allegations of misconduct.
"This is not possible. It cannot be. This is crazy," Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, expressed to local press while standing outside the embassy. "I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this. This is totally outside the norm."
Defending its decision, Ecuador's presidency said in a statement: "Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free."
López Obrador fired back, calling Glas' detention an "authoritarian act" and "a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico."
Alicia Bárcena, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, posted on the social platform X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, adding that it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Diplomatic premises are considered "inviolable" under the Vienna treaties and local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lived inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him.
Bárcena said that Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice "to denounce Ecuador's responsibility for violations of international law." She also said Mexican diplomats were only waiting for the Ecuadorian government to offer the necessary guarantees for their return home.
Ecuador's Foreign Ministry and Ecuador's Ministry of the Interior did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Security was tightened around the Mexican Embassy in Quito on Friday night.
The diplomatic tension between Mexico and Ecuador heightened after Mexico's president made remarks that Ecuador deemed "very unfortunate" regarding the previous year's election, in which Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa emerged victorious.
In response, the Ecuadorian government expelled the Mexican ambassador from the country, declaring them persona non grata.
