On the evening of 5 April, a unit of the Ecuadorian army forcibly entered the Mexican embassy in Quito and forcibly removed Jorge Glas, the former Ecuadorian vice-president, who had been residing there since the end of last year and had been granted political asylum. The head of the Mexican Embassy, Roberto Canseco, appeared before the media immediately after the arrest of former Vice-President Jorge Glas:
"That's impossible. It's crazy!!! I'm scared because they might kill him. There's no reason for that. It's completely abnormal and they're doing it because they're chasing him. I am completely defenseless, the country has been taken over by this group. It's the worst case I've ever faced in my career."
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa officially issued the following statement:
"The National Government informs the public that Jorge Glas Espinel, sentenced to imprisonment by the Ecuadorian judiciary, was arrested this evening and handed over to the competent authorities. Every embassy has one purpose: to serve as a diplomatic space to strengthen relations between countries. No criminal can be considered persecuted for political reasons. Jorge Glas has been convicted and the authorities have issued an arrest warrant for him.
Ecuador was facing a non-international armed conflict, the consequences of which for democracy and civil peace would only be exacerbated if actions that violated the rule of law, national sovereignty or interfered in the country's internal affairs continued or were sanctioned. The abuse of the immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission in which Jorge Glas served, and the granting of diplomatic asylum in violation of the generally accepted legal framework, led to his detention. Ecuador is a sovereign country and we will not allow any criminal to go unpunished. We reiterate that we respect the Mexican people, who share our views in the fight against the corruption that plagues our country."
However, forcible entry into the territory of the embassy of another country is a violation of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention.
According to this provision, the premises of the embassy are inviolable. The authorities of the host State may enter these premises only with the consent of the Head of Mission. The host State shall be under a special obligation to take all appropriate measures to protect the premises of the Mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance to the peace of the Mission or outrage to its dignity.
On 6 April, Mexico's Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena officially announced the suspension of relations with the Ecuadorian government:
"After consultation with President López Obrador, in light of the flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the injuries sustained by Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador, Mexico announces the immediate suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador."
That same day, Mexican diplomats began packing their personal belongings to leave Ecuador immediately.
It was also announced that Mexico would appeal to the UN International Court of Justice to condemn the violation of international law in connection with the police raid on its embassy in Quito.
Later, the minister said that Mexico would send a report to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the diplomatic crisis with Ecuador, which was exacerbated by the suspension of official relations. She stressed the international community's support for the incident, the strong condemnation by 20 Latin American countries, 10 European and several international organisations, and the meetings convened by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States to analyse the events.
After Mexico, the Nicaraguan leadership announced the severance of all diplomatic relations with Ecuador.
The Brazilian government issued a statement saying that it "condemns in the strongest possible terms the crackdown by the Ecuadorian police on the Mexican embassy in Quito last night, 5 April. The action taken by the Ecuadorian Government sets a serious precedent and must be strongly condemned, whatever the justification for its use. The Brazilian Government finally expresses its solidarity with the Mexican Government."
Inside Ecuador, the opposition also supported Mexico. The Civil Revolution movement, represented by Viviana Veloso, Vice-President of the Ecuadorian National Assembly, and 51 other deputies, announced that 'we do not intend to participate in an authoritarian and dictatorial model of government, we do not intend to support these actions that violate the constitutional order and public international law'.
In addition, the legal team has begun preparing a formal complaint for "more than 48 hours of non-communication with Jorge Glas in La Rocha detention centre", which, according to lawyer Vera García, "violates their fundamental rights and threatens their safety", before which they demand "access to information", "helpfulness and transparency".
According to the latest reports, Jorge Glas is in a prison hospital. There are conflicting reports, with some sources saying it was an attempted murder and others saying it was a suicide.
It should be noted that the remedy of Habeas Corpus under the Ecuadorian Constitution "seeks to restore the liberty of one who has been deprived of it unlawfully, arbitrarily or illegally, by order of a public authority or of any person, and to protect the life and physical integrity of the persons who enjoy that liberty".
And even the US has condemned the actions of the Ecuadorian authorities. On the website of the State Department it was published:
"The United States condemns any violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and takes very seriously the obligations of host countries under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions. Mexico and Ecuador are important partners of the United States, and we attach great importance to our relations with both countries. We urge both countries to resolve their disputes in accordance with international norms."
Given that Daniel Noboa is a pro-Washington politician with a banana business, this statement should hit him like a cold shower. But on the other hand, he has only learned from the United States to violate international law because, as Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted, "since 2016, the US authorities have seized, or to call a spade a spade, simply raided six diplomatic properties belonging to our country by virtue of private ownership: Recreation centers in Maryland and New York State, the building of the trade mission in Washington, the administrative building of the consulate general and the residence of the consul general in San Francisco, as well as the residence of the consul general in Seattle."
Noboa seems to have forgotten the Roman proverb: What is permitted to Jupiter is not permitted to the bull. And domestic affairs must be distinguished from foreign policy activities.
What consequences could the disruption of relations between Mexico and Ecuador have as a result?
Persons with degrees from Mexican universities will not be able to register them in Ecuador.
All exports from Ecuador to Mexico and vice versa will be prohibited.
Mexican visas will no longer be issued for Ecuador (Ecuadorians will not be able to travel to Mexico).
Economic sanctions by the Organization of American States (it will be up to each OAS member country to decide what sanctions to impose on Ecuador).
Ecuadorians studying in Mexico will not be able to renew their student visas.
Ecuadorians who are in Mexico illegally and have been detained will not be deported to Ecuador and will remain in Mexico to serve their sentences.
Aircraft of Ecuadorian airlines will not be able to fly over Mexican territory.
These and any other restrictions will be in the news soon.
As for the situation inside the country, given the rampant crime and the deteriorating socio-economic situation, Nobo's government will find itself in a rather difficult situation. External and internal pressures will now consolidate around this escalating case.
Leonid Savin - geopolitical expert on Latin American relations
geopolitika.ru/gnews.cz-JaV_07
https://www.geopolitika.ru/article/ekvador-pereshyol-na-storonu-bespredela
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