Colombia and Venezuela ask Mexico and Bolivia to recognize Jorge Claus' asylum and monitor his health | Political | news

The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela, Gustavo Pedro and Nicolás Maduro, respectively, on April 5 asked their Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, to recognize the political asylum granted by the Mexican government to former Vice President Jorge Claus.

Meanwhile, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry announced it was “establishing a Commission of States” to monitor Klaus' condition.

The positions of these governments coincided this Tuesday, April 16, in a virtual meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Selag), in which the Ecuadorian National Police entered the diplomatic headquarters of the North American country to arrest Claus. Discussed on April 5.

Because of the incident, Mexico filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asking Ecuador to suspend it until it publicly apologized to the UN for raiding its diplomatic headquarters.

The class has been held since April 6 at the La Roca maximum security prison in Guayaquil, where he is said to have started his hunger strike.

In this context, Gustavo Pedro said: “Mr. Claus should restore the right to asylum, and in my personal opinion, if the Mexican government decides to go to the International Court of Justice and the United Nations, we will go with them.”

“I hope that the government of Ecuador will think about Latin America, regardless of political and ideological position, Latin America does not deserve to be isolated for another hundred years,” said the Colombian president.

Nicolás Maduro pointed out: “(Former) Vice President Jorge Claus should be returned to the Mexican Embassy, ​​his political asylum should be recognized, his physical health should be approved and travel after he was tortured in Mexico.”

Bolivian President Luis Arce proposed the “establishment of a Commission of States” to monitor Klaus's health “in order to prevent irreparable damage,” as Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa pointed out at the Celac Foreign Ministers' meeting. “

On April 5, the National Police forcefully entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest the former Vice President in the administration of Rafael Correa (2007-2017).

The politician had been in the embassy since December 2023, seeking asylum in Mexico and awaiting safe passage to leave the country.

The Mexican government severed ties with Ecuador and denounced it before the International Court of Justice, deeming the entry into its embassy in Quito a violation of international law and its sovereignty.

Glass had to serve eight years in prison for previous convictions in two corruption cases. However, he was released from prison in 2022 after a questionable precautionary measure after serving five years in jail and was required to appear before the authorities periodically.

In this regard, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded this Tuesday, after Noboa said he did not regret ordering the raid on the Mexican embassy, ​​and to resolve the conflict, “López Obrador will invite him for ceviche. “Or “probably tacos.”

AMLO replied: “(For me) to protect the right of asylum, those persecuted for political reasons, should be supported and protected by the right of asylum, it is part of our foreign policy tradition and it should be protected. What we show.”

On Friday, April 12, a court of the National Court declared that the detention of Glass inside the diplomatic compound was illegal and arbitrary, although he was imprisoned because he did not serve a sentence for the bribery case and illegal communication. The Odebrecht case. (YO)