Authorities found former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glass in a “deep self-induced coma” in prison on Monday, days after he was arrested by police in a dramatic arrest inside the Mexican embassy in Quito.
Mr. Glass ingested anti-depressants and sedatives, according to a police report, and was taken to a military hospital for observation.
The former vice president faces embezzlement charges in Ecuador and had taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in an attempt to avoid arrest. He became the subject of a diplomatic row last week when police in Quito entered the embassy and successfully arrested him, taking him to a detention center.
A 1961 diplomatic treaty says governments cannot enter foreign embassies without permission from the embassy’s host country, establishing a line that has only rarely been crossed.
Ecuador’s new president, Daniel Noboa, has been keen to appear tough on crime amid a growing security crisis in the region and has defended the decision to detain Mr. Glass, calling him a criminal, not a political prisoner.
On Monday, as news of Mr. Glass’ overdose broke, Mr. Noboa reiterated this positionsaying it had an “obligation” to arrest people like Mr Glass or the country would face “imminent risk of them fleeing”.
“Ecuador is a country of peace and justice,” he continued, “which respects all nations and international law.”
Lawyers for Mr. Glass, an ally of former President Rafael Correa, say he is being politically motivated. Mr. Glass served as vice chairman under Mr. Correa from 2013 to 2017.
Thalíe Ponce contributed reporting from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Genevieve Glatsky from Bogota, Colombia.
