Mexican Embassy in Ecuador Forcibly Entered

Members of an elite corps of the Ecuadorian Police stormed and forcibly entered Mexico’s diplomatic headquarters, the Mexican Embassy in Quito Ecuador to arrest Ecuador’s former vice president Jorge Glas, and place him under arrest in the vehicle below.  As a result, Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador suspended diplomatic relations with the Government of Ecuador declaring that this act was a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. Confirming the move in a statement, a foreign ministry spokesperson said all Mexican diplomatic staff would leave Ecuador immediately.

Jorge Glas, the former vice president of Ecuador during part of Rafael Correa’s presidential term, was transferred to the maximum security prison La Roca, in Guayaquil, after receiving political asylum inside the Mexican Embassy. Glas is accused of alleged embezzlement in the ‘Reconstruction’ case of the coastal province of Manabí, after the strong earthquake that occurred in 2016, amongst other charges.

The Republic of Panama, as well as Costa Rica and other Latin countries expressed solidarity and support to the Government of Mexico, which suspended diplomatic relations with the Government of Ecuador after the police broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito, capital of Ecuador, to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, whom The Mexican Government granted asylum.