Azerbaijan pardons Frenchman after EU relieves sanctions on Usmanov

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, September 23, signed a decree pardoning a number of individuals, including French citizen Martin Ryan, who was imprisoned on charges of espionage. The corresponding decree was published on the website of the President of Azerbaijan, according to Європейська правда.

As stated, Aliyev pardoned a total of 20 people, taking into account their "personal qualities, health, family circumstances" and other reasons.

This happened after the EU extended restrictive measures against persons responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for another 36 months, but removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list.

It was reported that France had insisted on excluding Usmanov from the sanctions lists as it sought to "exchange" this decision for the release of several of its citizens currently held in Azerbaijani prisons.

France's persistent efforts to have him delisted drew criticism from other EU member states, some arguing that lifting sanctions for political motives sets a dangerous precedent.

Ukraine called the move "shameful".

Martin Ryan is the CEO of Mercorama. He was detained in Azerbaijan in December 2023. According to investigators, he acted on instructions from individuals who worked in the country as diplomats but, as claimed, were actually employees of the French secret services.