Mexico's conflict with Ecuador over an embassy raid initiates at the International Court of Justice.
Mexico has taken Ecuador to the World Court, accusing them of violating the Vienna Convention, a United Nations treaty regarding diplomatic relations. Mexico is asking for Ecuador to be suspended from the UN.
Videos from the event showed police in Ecuador fighting with the Mexican mission's top diplomat as they arrested Jorge Glas, a former Ecuadorean vice president who has been convicted twice for corruption. The incident received widespread criticism, but Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa remains unapologetic, stating in an interview with CNN affiliate SBS news that he has no regrets over how Glas was arrested.
In Tuesday's hearing, Mexico is requesting temporary measures from the ICJ to make sure that Ecuador "takes appropriate and immediate steps to guarantee the safety and security of diplomatic premises" and "stops any action or behavior that might increase or aggravate the dispute."
Temporary measures do not represent a final verdict but act as a restraining order to prevent a conflict from escalating while the entire case is processed through the court, a lengthy process that could take years.
In the meantime, Ecuador filed a lawsuit against Mexico at the ICJ for its decision to grant asylum to Glas. In a statement released on Monday, Ecuador's Foreign Ministry claimed that Mexico had violated conventions, agreements, and international obligations since Glas took refuge at the Mexican embassy in Quito last December and was subsequently awarded asylum.
Ecuador also accused Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of meddling in Ecuadorian politics by making "false and injurious statements" calling into question the legitimacy of last year's elections, according to their filing at the ICJ.
The current diplomatic clash has been accompanied by support from several Latin American leaders across the political spectrum for Mexico, resulting in many countries cutting diplomatic ties with Ecuador. The situation also returns Ecuador to the center of a global diplomatic crisis following the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London by British authorities.
When announcing the case, Mexico gave Ecuador the chance to withdraw, stating that they would push for Ecuador's removal from the UN if they did not receive a public apology for the raid and reparations. Ecuador has refused to apologize and Noboa told SBS News that his administration is on the "correct side of history."
Youngest-ever elected Ecuadorian president Noboa faces a challenging situation as he attempts to address a long-term security crisis involving drug cartels who have operated with impunity. Noboa has placed the country under emergency status multiple times and, with the support of 90% of the country, won nine out of eleven proposals in a referendum last week for more security measures to combat crime.
At the heart of the dispute between Ecuador and Mexico is Glas, who sought asylum in Mexico to avoid embezzlement charges and claimed that the accusations were politically motivated. Glas previously served under former leftist President Rafael Correa from 2013 to 2017.
Despite Correa currently residing in exile and evading a prison sentence for bribery (which he denies), his party remains the largest bloc in the National Assembly, indicating an old guard in the country that Noboa is trying to eliminate.
CNN's Abel Alvarado contributed to this report.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
