The invasion of the Mexican embassy in Ecuador: the limits never to be crossed

The police invasion of the Mexican embassy in Quito is an extremely serious event in a region that It is difficult to understand what limits should never be exceeded. The event is as complicated as the precedent it sets.

The action ordered by the government of Daniel Noboa, which usually asserts itself in the recovery of legality, institutions and law, had as its aim the arrest of Jorge Glas, the former vice president of the populist Rafael Correa. This individual drags a chain of causes of corruptionsome of which are linked to the regional corruption scandal of the Odebrecht case.

These miseries fully involve the former president who lives in a mental hospital in Brussels to escape also sentenced to eight years in prison for proven corruption. They say they are politically persecuted with the alibi of legality

Glas had taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in December and the controversial and outgoing government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador had granted him asylum hours ago in the midst of a crossing of abuses between the two countries. Ecuador failed to provide safe conduct, which instead sent a commando team that arrested the politician and attacked Mexican diplomats with impunity.

Noboa, in a statement, does not seem to realize the gravity of the episode and the title “We defend national sovereignty, zero impunity” indicates that “no criminal can consider himself politically persecuted” and I added it “Since the immunities and privileges of the diplomatic mission hosting Glas were abused and diplomatic asylum was granted contrary to the conventional framework, his capture was carried out”.

But that condition could not be defined from Quito, Glas took refuge in a foreign embassy whose government had established protection protected by international agreements. It may be unfair or reprehensible, but institutional buildings should not be demolished under the dubious argument of the law.

When, for example, the British police entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London, in April 2019, to arrest Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks and author of crucial and essential publications secret documents which revealed serious American covert operations, he did it because Quito revoked his asylum that Correa had granted him during his government. Since there was no diplomatic shield, the police action was legal.

Argentina and Venezuela

This is not what just happened with the Mexican embassy. The precedent it leaves is so serious that the region should unite in its repudiation. Just notice it Argentina has half a dozen political refugees in its embassy in Caracas, persecuted by the regime of Nicolás Maduro who accuses them of terrorism for their opposition activity. If Chavismo accepts Ecuador’s procedure as the rule, those people have adhered to it high danger area.

The background of the episode is the increasingly harsh confrontation between Ecuador and the Mexican president, a leader in retreat he constantly breaks his supposed rule of non-interference. He ignored it with Peru defending former president Pedro Castillo, arrested for his attempted coup, who also attempted to flee to Mexico after the uprising failed.

Now the confrontation with Ecuador has intensified in view of the presidential elections on June 2 in Mexico which will define the president’s successor. According to polls, the ruling Claudia Sheinbaum party has a strong advantage. However The strategy attracts attention.

Before granting asylum to Glas, López Obrador made a risky statement knowing the consequences, implying that Noboa’s victory in August 2023 was made taking advantage of the murder of the Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio at the hands of a drug trafficking hitman.

“There were elections in Ecuador; the candidate of the progressive forces was ahead by about 10 points” and “then, a candidate who speaks badly of the candidate who is in front, He is murdered and the candidate who was in the lead (the second Luisa González) falls and the candidate who was second rises”AMLO said.

Quito repudiated the comment and cooled relations, but the Mexican pointed to that episode as something that could be repeated in his country, ruining Sheinbaum’s career. We don’t know if he meant this The drug mafia leaders who control the business in Ecuador are in Mexico.

There is a paradox in this whole episode that the Mexican leader prefers to ignore. Recently, in the investigation into the “Metastasis” case, on the involvement of organized crime in Ecuadorian institutions, it was learned that Correa had contacts with an imprisoned drug lord, Leandro Norero, alias “El Patrón”, to help him free Glas. Noboa has now, unfortunately, provided texts to those who claim that these individuals are politically persecuted.