Latin American governments stand with Mexico after raid on its embassy in Ecuador

(Patria) - Latin American governments have stood with Mexico after a raid on its embassy in Ecuador and the arrest of a politician to whom Mexican authorities had granted asylum, Reuters reported.

The arrest late on Friday of Jorge Glas, Ecuador's former vice president who was detained on corruption charges, prompted Mexico to suspend relations with Quito.

The government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador described the raid and arrest as an "authoritarian" act and a violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty.

The government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa argued that the asylum protection was illegal due to the corruption charges Glas faces.

Under international law, embassies are considered sovereign territory of the country they represent.

On Saturday, governments across the political spectrum in Latin America, including Brazil and Colombia on the left, and Argentina and Uruguay on the right, sharply criticized the arrest of Glas, who had been seeking refuge in the embassy since December.

Video footage circulating on social media showed him being taken by a police convoy to the airport in the capital Quito, flanked by heavily armed soldiers. He then boarded a plane bound for a prison in Guayaquil, the country's largest city.

Photos on social media, including one posted by Cuba's foreign minister, showed what appeared to be armed police or soldiers climbing over the embassy wall.

Brazil's government condemned Ecuador's move as a "blatant violation" of international norms that prohibit such an attack on a foreign embassy. Ecuador's move against the embassy "must be subject to strong rejection, regardless of the justification for its implementation," a foreign ministry statement said, stressing solidarity with Mexico.

Mexico's top diplomat Alicia Barcena expressed shock at the raid, adding that some embassy staff were injured in the operation. She said Glas was granted asylum after a thorough analysis of the circumstances of the charges he faces. Mexico's foreign ministry announced it would file a complaint with the United Nations International Court of Justice over "serious violations of international law."

Also on Saturday, the Washington-based Organization of American States issued a call for dialogue to resolve the escalating dispute between Ecuador and Mexico, adding in a statement that a meeting of the organization's permanent council would be convened to discuss the need for "strict compliance with international treaties, including those guaranteeing the right to asylum."

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, meanwhile, said on X that Latin America "must keep alive the regulations of international law amid the barbarism advancing in the world."

Petro's government stressed that it would seek legal protection of human rights for the now-detained Glas, a separate statement said.

Glas, twice convicted for corruption, had been hiding in the embassy in Quito since requesting political asylum in December, which Mexico granted on Friday. Ecuadorian authorities had unsuccessfully sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas.