Aliyev pardoned the convicted Frenchman Martin Ryan

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed a decree pardoning French citizen Martin Ryan, who was convicted in Baku on charges of espionage. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed this decision.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in March, a court in Baku sentenced French and British citizen Martin Ryan to 10 years in prison on charges of espionage, while Azerbaijani Azad Mamedli was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for treason. In early June, an appeal was filed against the sentences of Martin Ryan and Azad Mamedli.

Convicted in Baku for espionage in favor of France, Martin Ryan was pardoned by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, reported the news agency Report on September 23.

According to the charges, Ryan was recruited as an agent by employees of the French General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), who were later declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan and expelled from Baku.

The verdict states that the French citizen collected information about weapons and ammunition produced in Azerbaijan and imported into the country, as well as about the staffing of the Azerbaijani army during the 44-day war in 2020. He sought Azerbaijani military personnel who could be recruited for cooperation and studied ways to secretly transfer money from Azerbaijan to other countries.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Aliyev's decision to pardon Ryan, calling this step a humanitarian gesture.

"This decision is the result of patient and consistent dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities, which we intend to continue and which is a step towards normalizing our relations," the statement on the page of the French Foreign Ministry on X said.