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Ecuador's ex-Vice President Glas returns to prison

April 10, 2024

Jorge Glas, whose arrest from the Mexican embassy last weekend sparked international outcry, was briefly hospitalized. Ecuadorian authorities say his health has stabilized, while his lawyers continue to sound the alarm.

https://p.dw.com/p/4eb2V
A military vehicle transports former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas from the detention center in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Jorge's arrest from inside the premises of the Mexican embassy in Quito has triggered a wave of interntional condemnationImage: Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo/picture alliance

Ecuador's former Vice President Jorge Glas was back in prison on Tuesday, after being hospitalized a day earlier, amid growing angry reactions to his arrest.

Glas, formerly convicted of corruption and facing fresh charges, was arrested during a highly controversial raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito last weekend, where he was seeking refuge.

What do we know about Glas' health?

The Ecuadorian SNAI prisons agency said the former vice president was returned to prison in the city of Guayaquil after it was determined that his health was "acceptable."

"In accordance with evaluations carried out by the [hospital] personnel, the citizen is now presenting acceptable parameters of health, within normal range," the SNAI said earlier in the day in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

SNAI had said a day earlier that Glas was transferred to hospital after the prison service said he refused to eat the food provided in jail for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the vice president's legal team continued to sound the alarm regarding his inability to speak with them.

"Yesterday they blocked my entrance to the naval hospital, which means that humane rules, international and national laws have been violated," lawyer Eduardo Franco Loor told the Reuters news agency, adding that a motion for Glas' release has been filed.

Glas' arrest and its international repercussions

Glas had been holed up at the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador's capital since a warrant was issued for his arrest in December. Hours before his arrest on Friday, Mexico announced it would grant him asylum.

Mexico's government ended diplomatic ties with Ecuador after the Friday raid, followed by an outpouring of international condemnation.

On Tuesday, the White House issued criticism.

"The Ecuadoran government disregarded its obligations under international law as a host state to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions, and jeopardize the foundation of basic diplomatic norms in relationships," said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Quito has been accused of violating the 1961 Vienna Convention governing international relations.

Ecuador draws outrage after raid on Mexico's Quito embassy

rmt/jsi (AFP, Reuters)