2024 raid on the Mexican embassy in Ecuador

2024 attack on the Mexican embassy in Quito
	; The Mexican embassy in Quito
Date	5 April 2024
Location	Quito, Ecuador0°10′40″S 78°28′42″W / 0.17778°S 78.47833°W
Result	Arrest of Jorge Glas; Breaking of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Ecuador; Complaint by Mexico against Ecuador in the International Court of Justice for violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations;
Belligerents
Ecuador	Mexico
Units involved
National Police

On 5 April 2024, the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador, was attacked by Ecuadorian police and military forces in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.

The attack, which occurred after a period of rising tensions between both countries, was carried out to arrest the former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, who had been sentenced for corruption and was living in the embassy since 17 December 2023.^[1] A few hours before the attack, he had been granted political asylum.^[2]

The assault led to Mexico severing its relations with Ecuador.^[3] Later that day, Nicaragua followed suit in solidarity with Mexico.^[4]

Background

In December 2023, former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had served as vice president under Presidents Rafael Correa and Lenín Moreno, entered the Mexican embassy in Quito to request asylum, alleging political persecution.^[5] The former vice president had been sentenced, in December 2017, to serve eight years in prison for two sentences: one of six years for illicit association and another of eight years for bribery.^[6] In November 2022 Jorge Glas was released, but could not leave the country during the remainder of his sentences. Then the attorney general's office said in a statement it was insisting on charging Glas with respect to the case involving public funds collected to aid the reconstruction of Manabí Province after a 2016 earthquake.^[7]

On 3 April 2024, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, alluded in a press conference to the fact that Luisa González, the presidential candidate of the pro-Correa Citizen Revolution Movement, had an advantage in polling for the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, but that after the murder of Fernando Villavicencio her polling numbers had dropped,^[8] implying the assassination had affected the election results.^[9]

After the Mexican president's comments, on 4 April, Mexican ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke was declared a persona non grata and the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry invoked the principle of "non-intervention" in the internal affairs of another country and article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to request her departure.^[8]^[10] The Mexican government granted political asylum to Glas^[2] after the expulsion of its ambassador. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa reiterated that he would not issue the necessary safe conduct for Glas to leave the country.^[11]

On 5 April, the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena, called for the Government of Ecuador to arrange safe passage as soon as possible so that Glas could leave for Mexico.^[12]

Raid

At around 22:00 on 5 April 2024, an elite detachment of the National Police forced their way in to the embassy and took Glas into custody.^[13] They took Glas to the attorney general's office, then to an airport for a flight to Guayaquil, with plans to transfer him to a maximum security facility.^[14]

Consequences

After the news spread, the same day, López Obrador announced on Twitter the severing of all diplomatic relations with Ecuador. Mexico also announced plans to take Ecuador to the International Court of Justice for violations of international law.^[15]

Reactions

Argentina: The Argentine Republic condemned the attack of the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador and called for full observance of the 1954 Convention on Diplomatic Asylum and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.^[16]
Bolivia: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the Mexican people and government.^[17]
Brazil: The government of Brazil expressed its solidarity with the Mexican government and condemns the measure carried out by the Ecuadorian government, highlighting it as a serious precedent that must be vigorously repudiated.^[18]
Canada: Global Affairs Canada expressed deep concern at "Ecuador’s apparent breach of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by entering the Embassy of Mexico without authorization".^[19]
Chile: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile condemned the raid of the Ecuadorian police on the Mexican Embassy and the capture of Glas, recalling the articles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, conveying his feeling of solidarity to all the diplomatic staff of the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador and advocating for a prompt solution to this incident between the two nations.^[20]
Colombia: The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has announced that he will request precautionary measures in favor of Glas from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, in addition to calling an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States in order to examine Ecuador's breach of the Vienna convention.^[21]
Costa Rica • Dominican Republic • Panamá: In a joint communiqué, the three countries condemned the aggression against the Mexican embassy, which they called an "inexcusable violation" of the territorial integrity of the Mexican embassy in Quito.^[22]
Cuba: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, condemned the forceful entry of the Ecuadorian Police into the Mexican Embassy to arrest Jorge Glas.^[23]
Guatemala: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala expressed its rejection of the non-observance of the Vienna Convention in the violation of the headquarters of the Mexican Embassy and called for respect and comply under any circumstances with the obligations of States with respect to article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.^[24]
Honduras: The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, described the assault as an intolerable act for the international community, "given that it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum."
Nicaragua: The Nicaraguan government condemned this violation of international law, deciding to break diplomatic relations with the Ecuadorian government and extend its solidarity with Mexico.^[25]
Paraguay: The government of Paraguay expressed its concern about the operation and calls on the parties to reflect and to unrestricted respect for International Law.
Uruguay: The Ministry of Foreign Relations issued a statement in which it expressed its regret over the events in Ecuador, underlining the importance of respect for international law and peaceful coexistence between Latin American countries. It also urged compliance with the Caracas Convention, highlighting that diplomatic asylum should not be granted in cases of common crimes, and hoped that Mexico and Ecuador could resolved their differences and restore diplomatic relations soon.^[26]
United States: State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, posted an official statement indicating that "The United States condemns any violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We encourage our partners Mexico and Ecuador to resolve their differences in accord with international norms."^[27]^[28]
Venezuela: The Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Iván Gil, expressed his rejection, describing Jorge Glas as politically persecuted and warning about the possible emergence of a time of "terror" for Ecuador, alleging that an extreme ideology of neofascism would be manifesting.^[29]
Organization of American States: The OAS rejected the incursion of police forces into the Mexican embassy in Ecuador and proposed a meeting of its Permanent Council, in addition to calling for dialogue between both parties and expressing its solidarity with Mexican diplomats.^[30]^[31]
United Nations: Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that Secretary-General António Guterres was "alarmed" at the incident and reaffirmed the cardinal principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel. The Secretary-General also called for moderation and exhorted the two governments to solve their differences peacefully.^[32]