Mexico is suing Ecuador before the International Court of Justice for serious violations committed against its embassy in Quito.
Mexico is suing Ecuador before the International Court of Justice for serious violations committed against its embassy in Quito.
The multilateral system must live up to the seriousness of the facts,” declared the Minister of External Relations, Ms. Bárcena.
Ecuador violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations […] by entering embassy premises without authorization,” said legal consultant Alejandro Celorio.
During the morning conference held today at the National Palace, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, accompanying and following the instructions of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced that Mexico presented today before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in the Netherlands, the complaint for the flagrant violations committed by the Republic of Ecuador against the Mexican Embassy in this country and its diplomatic staff, on the night of Friday 5 April 2024.
Mexico was a pioneer in the conception and development of international law. Furthermore, it has always encouraged the settlement of disputes between States by peaceful means, as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations. The Ecuadorian government’s violent intrusion into the Mexican Embassy, as well as the acts of violence and harassment committed against its staff, cause irreparable harm to the international system as a whole.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador noted that “there should be no repetition of a despicable act like that suffered by Mexico and, in particular, its diplomatic representation; that this should not be repeated in any country in the world; that international law should be guaranteed; that the premises, embassies of countries in any nation should not be violated and that the states where all diplomatic missions are located should commit to protecting the independence and guaranteeing the sovereignty of these spaces, it is what we are trying to do.”
Foreign Minister Bárcena explained that Ecuador must be held responsible for its clear violation of the inviolability of the Mexican embassy, as well as the physical attacks against the life and dignity of diplomatic personnel, mainly Roberto Canseco Martínez and Eva Martha Balbuena Reyes, which constitute a repudiatory violation of international law, in particular the provisions contained in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (CVRD). Ecuador also violated the CVDR by intercepting and listening to private communications from the Mexican Embassy, deploying excessive numbers of police, special forces and military personnel around the embassy in previous days, and by harassing and disturbing members of its diplomatic mission.
In this regard, Minister Alicia Bárcena indicated that the complaint filed with the ICJ includes several claims regarding responsibility for the damage caused to Mexico and its nationals.
The Head of Mexican Diplomacy noted that “Mexico’s requests are aimed precisely at strengthening the international legal framework for the peaceful settlement of disputes which should govern international coexistence […] what we are asking is that the multilateral system responds to the seriousness of the facts […] and we should demand that international justice and the international system unambiguously condemn and punish the serious violations that have been committed and avoid a precedent of impunity.”
For his part, Alejandro Celorio Alcántara, legal consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE), explained that the request to initiate the procedure, presented to the ICJ, constitutes the presentation of the first arguments, and that in the coming months, a “memorandum” will be presented with more detailed information.
“There is no doubt that Ecuador violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by violating the immunity of the Embassy, by entering without authorization, without any right, into the premises of the Embassy […] by attacking the life and dignity of diplomatic personnel […] by interfering in our communications […] by hindering and preventing the diplomatic work of our embassy and our staff,” said Mr. Celorio Alcántara.
The legal consultant highlighted that in addition to the legal action initiated, provisional measures were requested from the Court for Ecuador to guarantee the security and inviolability of the Mexican Embassy, which contains property and archives. Mexico considers that the serious violations committed by Ecuador in this case constitute a dangerous precedent for the entire international community with regard to respect for the most fundamental obligations of States in diplomatic relations.
Mexico reiterates its commitment to international law and justice, through existing mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of disputes, and calls on the international community to strengthen them.
