Bolivia backs sanctions on Ecuador for storming Mexican Embassy
3 Min Read
Bolivia's leader warns that the episode might set a "damaging precedent" as nothing like this has ever happened in Latin America before.
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Bolivia's President Luis Arce addresses the nation at the presidential palace in La Paz, Bolivia on January 22, 2022. (AP)
Bolivian President Luis Arce told Sputnik that his country backs imposing sanctions against Ecuador in response to the assault on Mexico's embassy in Quito earlier this month.
According to reports, on April 6, Ecuadorian police used armed vehicles to raid the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrest former Ecuadorian President Jorge Glas, who had sought refuge there for an extended period. Following these events, Mexico City suspended diplomatic relations with Quito.
Mexican authorities released footage of the storming of the embassy by Ecuadorian forces to arrest former Ecuadorian VP Jorge Glas.#Ecuador #Mexico pic.twitter.com/v05abVfHLT
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 11, 2024
According to Arce, "The situation is quite delicate ... If no exemplary sanctions are imposed and if the right for asylum is not returned to someone who enjoyed the right, then the topic of asylum will actually become unstable, vulnerable to anyone who wants to seek asylum in any part of the world."
Bolivia's leader cautioned that the episode might set a "damaging precedent" as nothing like this has ever happened in Latin America before.
He detailed that "never in the history of our region, even in the times of military dictatorships from which we suffered in the 60s, 70s and even in the 80s in several countries in the region ... We have never faced such aggression and violation of international agreements."
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro previously described the incident in a post on his account on X as "an act of barbarism" and announced that he fully rejects the "fascist" incursion breaching international laws.
UN membership
Following the embassy attack, Mexico severed its ties with Ecuador. Its decision saw backing from Latin America's major countries including Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. Additionally, the United States and the European Union also condemned Ecuador's embassy raid. Nicaragua later announced it was cutting its diplomatic relations with Quito.
Mexico initiated legal proceedings against Ecuador at the International Court of Justice, demanding that Ecuador's membership in the United Nations be suspended unless it presents a public apology for breaching international norms.
Alejandro Celorio Alcantara, a legal consultant for Mexico's Foreign Ministry, praised the court's decision, stating that it affirms that Glas was a victim of "political persecution."
Regarding the call to suspend Ecuador from the UN, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that this is "an issue for member states to decide," stressing, "We do very much hope that the tensions between Ecuador and Mexico are dealt with through dialogue."
While a thorough hearing on the issue may extend over several years, Mexico has additionally petitioned international judges to issue "provisional measures" to safeguard its diplomatic personnel given that "the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador, along with its property and archives, faces the risk of not being protected or further being violated again."
Dujarric said that such a measure is "an issue for member states to decide."
