Azerbaijan Pardons Imprisoned French National Martin Ryan Following Diplomatic Developments

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has granted a pardon to Martin Ryan, a French national who was previously handed a 10-year prison sentence on espionage charges. This development occurred on Wednesday, arriving just one day after the European Union removed sanctions from Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov following diplomatic pressure reportedly exerted by Baku.

Martin Ryan, whose arrest took place in 2023 and whose sentencing followed in March, was included in a group of 20 individuals pardoned by the office of Ilham Aliyev. According to the Reuters news agency, this group also comprised Turkish, Azerbaijani, Pakistani, and Russian-Israeli nationals. A statement on the website of Ilham Aliyev indicated that the president considered factors such as their "personalities, state of health, family circumstances", alongside other motives, when deciding on the pardons.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing that France welcomed "with relief the decision to grant clemency" to Martin Ryan, describing the move as "a humanitarian gesture". The ministry added, "This decision is the result of patient and exacting dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities." At the time, confirmation regarding the immediate release of Martin Ryan remained unavailable.

Prosecutors had accused Martin Ryan of collecting intelligence related to Azerbaijan's military partnerships with Turkiye, Iran, and Pakistan, as well as information concerning businesses connected to China and Russia. Martin Ryan, who also holds British citizenship, maintained his innocence against all allegations. The French government asserted that the accusations leveled against him were false, demanded his immediate release, and characterized him as being caught amidst diplomatic tensions.

The removal of sanctions involving Alisher Usmanov and fellow Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman marked the first instance of the European Union lifting restrictions on wealthy members of the Russian elite who had not publicly denounced the conflict in Ukraine. Alisher Usmanov, previously a minority shareholder in Arsenal football club, shares an educational background with the presidents of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan from a diplomatic school in Moscow, and maintains personal ties with them.

Diplomatic sources informed Reuters and AFP that France had privately communicated that Baku utilized the sanction status of Alisher Usmanov to exert leverage over Paris regarding its detained citizens. Meanwhile, a second French national, Anass Derraz—an employee of the French water company Saur who received a 12-year sentence on corruption charges—was omitted from the pardons. An Azerbaijani diplomat dismissed the allegations of a pressure campaign, calling them "categorically unfounded".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented that the action demonstrated ongoing efforts by Russia "to break the West’s unity". Additionally, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Moscow was "celebrating, because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans". Latvia chose to abstain from the vote and announced plans to enact its own unilateral sanctions against the two individuals, with Foreign Minister Baiba Braze describing the European Union choice as "dangerous". Slovakia initially advocated for the removal of Alisher Usmanov, with France later supporting the measure.

Overall relations between Baku and Paris have experienced long-term strain due to French backing of Armenia. Concurrently, ties between Moscow and Baku have also faced friction following the accidental downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet by Russian military forces in December 2024.