Latin American governments, including Brazil’s, joined forces with Mexico after the Mexican embassy in Ecuador was raided to arrest on corruption charges a controversial politician who had been granted asylum by Mexican authorities.
The arrest late Friday of Jorge Glass, Ecuador’s former vice president, prompted Mexico to immediately cut ties with Quito.
In a video circulating on social media, he is shown being taken in a police convoy to the airport in the capital Quito, accompanied by heavily armed soldiers. He then boards a plane to a detention center in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city.
Mexico has suspended diplomatic relations with Ecuador after police forcibly broke into its embassy in Quito and arrested former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas who was taking refuge there. pic.twitter.com/0xx4Ejg7yb
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 6, 2024
The government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has hit out at the unusual diplomatic mission raid and arrest, calling it an “act of authoritarianism” and a violation of international law and Mexico’s sovereignty.
On Saturday, four leftist Latin American governments – Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba – criticized the arrest of Glass, who had been holed up in the embassy since December.
Glass, who has twice been convicted of corruption, had taken refuge in the embassy in Quito after seeking political asylum in December, a request that Mexico granted on Friday.
Ecuadorian authorities had unsuccessfully sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glass.
In 2017, Glass, a former second-in-command to then-President Rafael Correa, also from the Left, was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in exchange for awarding it government contracts.
Facing a second arrest warrant on other corruption charges, Glass has claimed he is the victim of political persecution, a charge the Ecuadorian government denies.
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