Mexico v Ecuador/Ecuador v Mexico: With Diplomatic Asylum Back before the ICJ, Can Legal Certainty on This Divisive Issue Finally Be Won?

On the evening of 5th April 2024, Ecuadorian police forcibly entered the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrested Jorge Glas, former Vice-President of Ecuador (2013-2017), who had entered the embassy in December 2023 and had recently been granted asylum by Mexico. Mexico instituted proceedings before the International Court of Justice on 11th April 2024, asserting violations of international law on the part of Ecuador and requesting the indication of provisional measures. Ecuador has then responded by instituting proceedings against Mexico on 29th April 2024, asserting violations of international law on the part of Mexico inter alia for permitting Jorge Glas to reside in the embassy and for purporting to grant him asylum. This Tagesthemen presentation will explore the background to and the legal framework governing the applications, in particular under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It will also examine whether the applications represent a unique opportunity for the International Court of Justice to provide much-needed clarity and legal certainty to the question of the legal status of diplomatic asylum in international law.

A technical note about the video: While the substantive portion of the talk is recorded and available, the first minute is missing due to a technical error.