Ecuador sued Mexico at the International Court of Justice after Mexico City granted asylum to the country’s former vice president in its embassy in Quito.
Ecuador on April 29 filed a petition with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to sue Mexico because the country “violated a series of international obligations” by allowing former vice president Jorge Glas asylum at the Mexico City embassy. in Quito, Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In the lawsuit, Ecuador accused Mexico of using the embassy to “illegally protect Mr. Glas from Ecuadorian law enforcement forces.” Quito also said that Mexico City granting asylum to Mr. Glas was interfering in Ecuador’s internal affairs.
The ICJ, the supreme judicial body of the United Nations, is the world’s leading court that resolves legal complaints between countries over alleged violations of international law. The ICJ’s ruling is binding, but the agency has no means of ensuring its enforcement.
Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld at a press conference in Quito on April 6. Image: AFP
Ecuadorian police on April 5 raided the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former vice president Glas. Mr. Glas was once sentenced to prison by Ecuador for corruption related to the Brazilian construction group Odebrecht. After being released from prison in November 2022, Glas continued to be issued an arrest warrant on charges of embezzling earthquake recovery funds. He avoided it by going to the Mexican embassy to apply for asylum from December 2023.
The Ecuadorian police raid on the Mexican embassy caused Mexico City to cut diplomatic relations with Quito. Mexico also sued Ecuador at the ICJ, calling on the United Nations to suspend the country. The ICJ is expected to begin the trial on April 30.
Several Latin American countries, Spain, the European Union, the United States and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned Ecuador’s move as a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said the raid to arrest Glas was necessary because the former vice president could flee.
Ecuadorian authorities transferred Glas to prison in the city of Guayaquil. Glas was later hospitalized due to a hunger strike. The former vice president of Ecuador was treated and returned to prison.