Azerbaijan pardons French prisoner after EU sanctions move

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French national Martin Ryan, who had been serving a 10-year prison sentence on spying charges, a day after the European Union removed sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Reports said it was unclear whether Ryan had been released from custody. The pardon was announced on September 23, following the EU decision on September 22. Aliyev’s office said the president granted pardons after considering recipients’ personal circumstances. Ryan was among a group of people pardoned, according to the reports. France welcomed the decision as a humanitarian gesture and said it followed sustained dialogue with Azerbaijani authorities. Ryan was arrested in 2023 and convicted in March, according to the reports. Azerbaijani prosecutors alleged he gathered information about the country’s military relationships and companies with ties to Russia and China. Ryan denied the charges, and France had called for his release. The reports did not confirm whether the pardon had taken effect in practice by freeing him. The timing prompted competing accounts about whether the EU sanctions decision and Ryan’s pardon were connected.