Ecuador is facing legal action from Mexico at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a police raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito. Alejandro Celorio, a legal advisor for Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Ecuador violated the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations by infringing on the embassy’s immunity.
The ICJ is the main judicial body of the United Nations and handles legal complaints between countries regarding alleged violations of international law. While its rulings are binding, the agency lacks the means to enforce them. In response to the raid, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena called for Ecuador to be suspended from the United Nations until Quito apologizes for the incident.
The raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito took place on April 5, with the aim of arresting former vice president Jorge Glas, who had sought asylum there to avoid an arrest warrant for embezzling earthquake recovery funds. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned Ecuador’s actions as “dictatorial” and severed diplomatic ties with the country. This move sparked criticism from various countries in the Americas, Europe, and from United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Mexico’s lawsuit at the ICJ seeks to prevent similar events from occurring in the future by testing
