Ecuadorian court considers the arrest of former vice-president Glas illegal | News from the courts

But the three-member panel also kept his arrest pending, arguing that it could not “modify” his sentence.

The defense team of former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas welcomed the decision that declared his arrest inside the Mexican embassy in Quito illegal.

Even so, on Friday, lawyer Sonia Vera Garcia committed to appealing the decision, which maintained her client’s continued detention.

“We thank the international community,” she he wrote on social media platform X. “Your support led to the detention being declared arbitrary, a step forward.”

“However, Jorge remains in detention. We will appeal until we get his freedom.”

The decision comes after Francisco Hidalgo – a member of Glas’ left-wing political party Citizen Revolution – filed a habeas corpus request earlier this week on behalf of the former vice president, arguing that he had been illegally detained.

Glas’s arrest was the subject of ongoing international tensions. On April 5, Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy, ​​climbing the fence and pointing a gun at a high-ranking diplomat who was trying to bar his entry.

In its decision on Friday, a three-member court in Ecuador concluded that the detention on embassy grounds had in fact been “illegal and arbitrary.”

Judge Monica Heredia wrote that “without authorization from the head of Itamaraty and political affairs at the Mexican embassy in Ecuador, the detention became illegal.”

International law protects embassies and consulates from interference by local authorities. This “inviolability rule” theoretically allows diplomats to conduct sensitive work without fear of reprisal from the host country.

But embattled public figures like Glas have also turned to embassies seeking temporary refuge from arrest, knowing that local police must not enter without permission.

Glas was twice convicted on corruption-related charges. He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 and eight years in 2020.

In the hours before his arrest, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had granted political asylum to Glas, who had been taking refuge in its embassy in Quito since December.

But the attack on the embassy triggered a major dispute between Mexico and Ecuador.

In its wake, Mexico severed diplomatic ties and recalled its embassy staff from Ecuador. Latin American countries, as well as the Organization of American States (OAS), also denounced the police operation.

But the government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has sought to defend the attack as authorized by executive decree.

Furthermore, it argued that Glas should not be eligible for political asylum since his convictions did not result from persecution.

But the three-member court said Friday that the government’s defense of the attack “lacks a legal basis.”

Still, although the court ruled that the arrest itself was illegal, it ruled that Glas should remain behind bars, given his previous convictions.

“This court cannot modify the sentence,” Judge Heredia said.

Glas is currently serving a prison sentence in Guayaquil, where he is carrying out a hunger strike in protest. He was hospitalized earlier this week.

On Thursday, Mexico filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice to expel Ecuador from the United Nations over the embassy raid – at least until the country issues a formal apology for its violations of international law.