Venezuela has closed diplomatic missions in Ecuador after a raid on the Mexican embassy.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced Tuesday, April 16, that all of his country’s diplomatic missions in Ecuador will be closed in protest of a raid by Ecuadorian police officers on the Mexican embassy in Quito following the arrest of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glass. .

“I have ordered the closure of our embassy in Ecuador, the consulate in Quito, the consulate in Guayaquil and that diplomatic personnel return to Venezuela immediately (…) until international law is directly restored in Ecuador.”Mr. Maduro said from Caracas during a virtual summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (CELAC).

The April 5 raid by Ecuadorian police officers on the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest Mr. Glass — on an arrest warrant for alleged embezzlement — sparked a souring of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Quito as well as international protests.

Nicolás Maduro criticized Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa for defending the crackdown: “President Noboa’s statements are more than a provocation against Mexico, a provocation against international law and an absolute disregard for the entire legal framework. »

In Venezuela, six opposition leaders were accused“Destabilizing Actions” Against the Maduro government, there are refugees themselves in the Argentine embassy in Caracas. A high-ranking source in the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on April 5 that the leaders will do so “Use safe behavior (…) especially for humanitarian reasons”.

An “illegal and arbitrary” invasion

Ecuador’s justice system qualified on Friday“illegal and arbitrary” Detention of Jorge Glass at the Mexican Embassy. The court relied in particular on the fact that no search warrant had been issued to authorize the police to enter the diplomatic premises.

But the National Court of Justice (CNJ), the country’s highest court, also ruled that Mr. Glass must remain in custody at a high-security prison in Guayaquil (southwest) to serve previous convictions in two other corruption cases.

Mexico responded to the invasion of its embassy by severing diplomatic relations with Quito and then filing a complaint against Ecuador at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Mexico requests the suspension of the work of the United Nations in Ecuador “Until he publicly apologizes and admits to violating the fundamental principles and norms of international law.”.