Mexico Requests Suspension of Ecuador from the UN

Mexico requested the suspension of Ecuador from the UN in a formal application today, Thursday, April 11, at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). This action follows a raid by Ecuadorian security forces on the Mexican embassy in Quito on April 5, aimed at apprehending Jorge Glas, the former Vice President of Ecuador, who had received political asylum from Mexico.

According to Alicia Barcena, the Mexican Foreign Minister, Ecuador breached the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which underscores the inviolability of embassies. Mexico is now seeking “the suspension of Ecuador as a member of the United Nations until a public apology is issued acknowledging the violations of the fundamental principles and norms of international law,” stated the head of Mexican diplomacy.

Mexico – Ecuador diplomatic crisis

The former Ecuadorian Vice President, previously convicted on corruption charges by the Ecuadorian Supreme Court, sought political asylum in the Mexican embassy, citing political persecution by the Ecuadorian government. This action followed the initiation of a new case against him by the Ecuadorian justice system in December 2023. After the Mexican government granted him asylum, Ecuador began “a series of ongoing acts of intimidation and harassment” against the Mexican embassy in Quito, according to the Mexican application published by the ICJ.

On the night of Friday, April 5, Ecuadorian special forces breached the Mexican embassy to capture and prosecute Jorge Glas. Following his capture, Glas was incarcerated by the Ecuadorian authorities. However, last Monday, he was hospitalized for a “medical emergency,” after a “suicide attempt,” according to former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, now a political refugee in Belgium, as the imprisoned former Vice-President embarked on a hunger strike.

In its application, officially entitled “Legal questions concerning the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means, diplomatic relations, and the inviolability of a diplomatic mission,” Mexico is officially seeking “reparation for the moral damage inflicted on the Mexican state and its nationals.” Following the raid, the Mexican president severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador, ordering the repatriation of all Mexican diplomatic staff present in the country.

While Ecuador has not formally responded to Mexico’s application at the International Court of Justice, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has, for now, maintained his position. “We could not allow convicted criminals involved in very serious crimes to seek asylum,” he stated regarding the operation, in a statement released last Monday, April 8.

Amid the crisis between the two countries, member states of the Organization of American States approved a resolution presented by Colombia and Bolivia. This resolution condemns Ecuador’s intrusion into the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador and the acts of violence against its diplomatic personnel, and calls for the two countries to “initiate a dialogue.” Colombian President Gustavo Petro has publicly expressed his support towards the Mexican diplomatic personnel in Mexico, stating that Latin American countries should respect the principles of international law despite the growing “barbarity” worldwide.