Ecuadorian police raid Mexican Embassy to arrest former vice president

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Police in Ecuador raided the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been granted political asylum by Mexico.

Police entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito and detained Glas despite Mexico's announcement of granting him political asylum, according to local media.

Speaking to the reporters, Roberto Canseco, the head of political affairs at the Mexican Embassy, denounced the raid, stating that Ecuadorian police entered the embassy by force and assaulted the staff.

"This is absolutely unacceptable, it cannot be, and this is literally barbaric. We are concerned for Glas' safety," Canseco said.

In response to the incident, Mexico has suspended diplomatic relations with Ecuador, citing the violation of national sovereignty.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador characterized Ecuadorian police's intrusion into the embassy as a breach of Mexico’s sovereignty.

"This is a flagrant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty, which is why I have instructed our foreign minister to issue a statement regarding this authoritarian act, proceed legally, and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador," Obrador wrote on X.

As of Dec. 17, 2023, Blas sought refuge in Mexico's Embassy to avoid a prison term on two counts of corruption. Friction between the two countries has escalated following the Mexican government's refusal to allow Ecuadorian authorities to enter the country to arrest Blas.

On Friday, Ecuador's government declared Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke a “persona non grata” and ordered her to leave on Thursday.

The move came after recent statements by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who suggested Daniel Noboa won the Ecuadorian presidential election because of the murder of candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Responding to the move, the Mexican Foreign Ministry lamented the declaration of persona non grata to Ambassador Smeke and denounced acts of "clear harassment" to the Mexican Embassy.

In its press release, the ministry announced that the government of Mexico has decided to grant Glas political asylum, saying the decision will be officially communicated to the Ecuadorian authorities, along with the request that they grant Blas safe conduct in accordance with the 1954 Diplomatic Asylum Convention.