Azerbaijan pardons French national jailed for spying
Summary
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Martin Ryan, a French citizen sentenced to 10 years for spying. The pardon came shortly after the European Union lifted sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, amid diplomatic tensions involving Azerbaijan, France, and Russia.Key Facts
- Martin Ryan, a French and British citizen, was arrested in 2023 and sentenced for spying on Azerbaijan’s military relations.
- Ryan denied the charges, and France called them false, requesting his immediate release.
- President Aliyev pardoned Ryan along with 19 other prisoners from different countries.
- The EU lifted sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman for the first time despite their connection to Russia’s elite.
- Diplomats said Azerbaijan pressured the EU and France using sanctions and detained citizens as leverage.
- Azerbaijan denied using the pardon as a bargaining tool.
- Ukraine criticized the EU’s decision to remove sanctions, seeing it as weakening Western unity against Russia.
- Relations between France and Azerbaijan have been tense due to France’s support for Armenia and other diplomatic conflicts.
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