QUITO.- The closing of the Embassy of Mexico in Ecuador has become the epicenter of a diplomatic crisis, generating a debate over whether the Aztec country violated the Convention on Diplomatic Asylum by granting political asylum to the former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas.
The controversy arises because, as stipulated in the Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, asylum should not be granted to people facing judicial proceedings for common crimes. However, Mexico argues that Glas’s case is political in nature and, therefore, the granting of asylum is justified.
Ecuadorian authorities, on the other hand, maintain that Glas faces charges for common crimes and that, therefore, Mexico’s granting of asylum could have violated the Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.
Mexico’s position of granting political asylum to Glas raises questions about the interpretation and application of the criteria for granting this measure in cases where there are judicial proceedings for common crimes.
After his arrest, Glas was transferred to a maximum security prison in Guayaquil, where he is currently in custody. The images of his arrest, showing him handcuffed and visibly affected, have further fueled the controversy.
Former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, exiled in Belgium and convicted in absentia of corruption, described the events as “madness” and denounced alleged attacks against Glas.
The indefinite closure of the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador will affect approximately 1,600 Mexican citizens residing in the country. This incident also raises questions about Mexico’s diplomatic asylum policy and its commitment to international law.
Source: With information from AP and AFP
