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Ecuador court rules former vice president Jorge Glas must remain incarcerated despite illegal and arbitrary arrest – JURIST

The National Court of Justice of Ecuador decided on Friday that former vice president Jorge Glas must remain in jail despite denouncing his arrest at the Mexican Embassy as illegal. The habeas corpus petition filed to request his release stemmed from his detention during the raid at the Mexican Embassy last week and followed a series of international petitions to international organizations.Following a hearing lasting over 12 hours, the Family Chamber of the National Court of Justice of Ecuador noted that Glas’s detention was arbitrary, thus warranting immediate release. According to the court, Glas’s rights had been violated as the Ecuadorian state did not adhere to the national procedure for raiding diplomatic premises under Article 428.4 of the Comprehensive Penal Code of Ecuador.Judge Heredia found, however, that it was “inappropriate to grant freedom to the citizen as there exists another order of deprivation of liberty against him, distinct from the one that prompted the present habeas corpus action.” Nevertheless, she reiterated the need to guarantee and safeguard the rights of persons deprived of liberty and added that the judgment constituted a form of symbolic reparation in favor of Glas.In response to the decision, Glas’s lawyer thanked the international community for their support and indicated that they would appeal the court’s decision until achieving the former vice president’s freedom. She also emphasized that a representative of the armed forces who participated in the hearing justified the torture of Jorge Glas as a state policy of discipline.During his testimony at the hearing, Glas stated that he would meet with the German consul to discuss his case due to his dual nationality. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin expressed interest in Glas’s case and has attempted to establish direct contact with Ecuadorian authorities.Following the judgment, the former vice president will remain detained at La Roca prison, the country’s maximum-security facility, in southern Ecuador.