By orders of President Daniel Noboa, in April 2024 Ecuadorian police officers violently entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito and kidnapped Glas even though he had received asylum from the then government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Photo: EFE/File photo.
Ecuador’s Justice did not analyze the habeas corpus petition filed by former-VP Jorge Glas, whose defense alleges a risk of death, because the hearing was suspended today.
The Ecuadorian justice system was scheduled to address a habeas corpus request this afternoon, presented on behalf of former Vice President Jorge Glas. His defense team has raised urgent concerns, explicitly denouncing a severe risk of death for Glas given his current conditions in the maximum-security detention center.
This legal proceeding, was slated to occur in a judicial unit within the coastal province of Santa Elena, represents a critical new attempt by his lawyers to secure guaranteed access to adequate medical attention, especially after a similar appeal was rejected in December 2025.
The defense legal team denounced that on March 2 the hearing set for 2:00 P.M. (local time) was suspended. According to the Court, the main reason was the absence of Glas’s sponsoring lawyer. However, the lawyer Sonia Vera -part of the defense team- contradicted this version, assuring that the defender was present in a telematic way.
Through her account on X, Vera claimed that the judge ignored the telematic connection of Jorge Glas’ lawyer and he proceeded to suspend the hearing, imposed a fine and denied the defense’s intervention.
Publico este vídeo con autorización de @JorgeGlas.
Lo que he visto en las últimas semanas no puede seguir siendo ocultado ni distorsionado.
Frente a la desinformación que circula, es necesario decirlo con claridad: el nuevo hábeas corpus correctivo no busca privilegios.
Busca… pic.twitter.com/pQf9RiIi0A— Sonia Gabriela Vera García (@sonicorver) April 1, 2026
Text reads: “Today the defense was prevented in habeas corpus in favor of Jorge Glas. The proposer’s lawyer was connected. The judge stated that he was not present. Suspended the hearing, fined and denied intervention.”
It is important to note that this legal recourse does not challenge the existing judicial sentences against Glas, but rather critically examines the conditions under which his deprivation of liberty is being executed, emphasizing the right to humane treatment and health.
The presiding judge was tasked with meticulously reviewing a series of reports submitted by various state institutions, which include crucial documentation from the penitentiary service itself, detailing the ex-official’s current health status, the specific conditions of his confinement, and the level of care he is reportedly receiving within the carceral system.
Political Figures & Social Movements Demand Release of Ecuadorian Former VP Jorge Glas
Glas’ Critical Health Conditions
Sonia Vera, a prominent member of Glas’s defense team, has issued a stark warning regarding the ex-official’s condition. She asserted that Glas is facing a progressive deterioration of health and is at grave risk stemming from his compromised nutritional state.
“I am watching him die”, Vera declared emphatically in a video statement released on the X platform. In her public remarks, she highlighted that recent medical reports indicate a significant weight loss of 9 kilograms over just 3 months and a troubling non-compliance with a prescribed special diet, further underscoring the urgency of the situation.
According to the defense, the former Vice President requires constant treatment involving multiple medications and rehabilitation treatments for the ankylosing spondylitis and is also grappling with a complex psychiatric condition. In addition, specific attention is required for pain in the right shoulder, neck and rotator cuff, a condition that, according to the defense, arose in January 2026.
Despite these pressing needs, the defense alleges severe limitations in conducting comprehensive medical evaluations and considerable restrictions on both family visits and access to his legal counsel. These limitations, they argue, impede their ability to ensure Glas receives the necessary care and legal support.
“We are not asking for a privilege or impunity; we are asking that they not let him die of hunger”, the jurist added, underscoring the fundamental human rights aspect of their petition. This statement encapsulates the core plea of the defense team, focusing on the basic right to health and life within the prison system.
Glas had previously filed a habeas corpus in December 2025, in which he alleged various forms of mistreatment and detrimental impacts on his health. However, that specific legal recourse was ultimately denied. The former Vice President has been continuously held at the “El Encuentro” Prison in Santa Elena since November 10, 2025, following his transfer from the so-called “La Roca”, a maximum-security prison located in Guayaquil.
His defense team has consistently reported that Glas completed the sentences imposed in the high-profile Odebrecht and Bribery cases on October 2, 2025. Nevertheless, he remains incarcerated due to an ongoing process known as the “Manabí Reconstruction” case. The written sentence for this case, at the first instance, was notably notified six months after he completed his prior convictions. This specific delay, according to his lawyers, constitutes a significant violation of due process guarantees, adding another layer of complexity to his legal predicament.
A Case of Lawfare
Jorge Glas, widely regarded as one of the prominent symbols of judicial persecution, often referred to as “lawfare”, in Ecuador, sought refuge in the Mexican Embassy in Quito from December 2023 until April 5, 2024. On that pivotal day, Ecuadorian police forces controversially entered the diplomatic mission without explicit authorization and proceeded to apprehend Glas, despite the fact that he had been granted political asylum by the then-government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. This incident sparked a major international diplomatic crisis between Ecuador and Mexico, drawing global condemnation for the violation of diplomatic immunity.
Vera further emphasized that Glas’s current situation is inextricably linked to what she describes as a prolonged period of political persecution. This persecution, she argues, has been characterized by the arbitrary and instrumental use of the criminal justice system against him.
(teleSUR)
