Ecuador sues Mexico before ICJ over granting asylum to former vice president

BOGOTA, Colombia

Ecuador has sued Mexico before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for granting political asylum to former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas.

The legal action was filed three weeks after the Mexican government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sued the government of Daniel Noboa for the invasion of the Mexican embassy in Quito after which Glas was forcibly removed from the embassy. The invasion of the Ecuadorian police into embassy on the night of April 5 to arrest Glas unleashed a political crisis between both countries that escalated to the breaking of diplomatic relations.

According to a press release by the ICJ released on Monday, Ecuador argues that “Mexico used the premises of its diplomatic mission in Quito between 17 December 2023 and 5 April 2024 to shield Mr. Glas from enforcement by Ecuador of its criminal law in relation to several criminal proceedings and investigations instituted by Ecuador against him and that these actions constituted, among other things, a blatant misuse of the premises of a diplomatic mission.”

Glas was wanted by his country's justice system on corruption charges and had been taking refuge in the Mexican diplomatic headquarters since December. The 54-year-old politician was transferred to a maximum security prison in Guayaquil known as "The Rock," where he has gone on repeated hunger strikes.

“The lawsuit requests that it be resolved and declared that Mexico has failed to comply, among others, with its obligations not to grant asylum to people who are indicted or on trial for common crimes,” said a press release by Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry. Ecuador also accuses Mexico of “interfering in its internal affairs.”

On April 11, Mexico filed a complaint before the ICJ calling for Ecuador to be expelled from the United Nations, pending an apology for the embassy incident.

Mexico also severed its diplomatic relations with Ecuador, recalling its embassy staff from the country. The embassy incident has been condemned by most countries in the region, some of which have announced they joined Mexico's lawsuit.