A court in Azerbaijan has convicted a French citizen for spying and sentenced him to ten years in prison. The case came during a period of heightened diplomatic tension between France and Azerbaijan, which has now eased. France says it is working for his release.
Martin Ryan, who was arrested in Azerbaijan in December 2023, was convicted Monday for spying.
He was accused of collecting information about Azerbaijan’s military cooperation with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, and helping to recruit French-speaking Azerbaijanis to cooperate with French intelligence.
One of the recruits, Azad Mammadli, an Azerbaijani citizen, was tried for treason, alongside Ryan and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
France denies spying accusations
Authorities said Ryan arranged for Mammadji to meet French intelligence agents, who allegedly tasked him with recruiting Azerbaijanis and Russians at a Moscow university where he studied.
In his final statement to the court, Ryan denied spying and said he had acted unknowingly.
"I consider myself guilty only in that I should not have established contacts with some embassy employees, or that I should have shared information about them with the appropriate authorities," Ryan told the court.
"I did not spy. I am not a spy, and during the court case I tried to prove this."
Diplomatic tensions
France has rejected the accusations, insisting that Ryan is not linked to French intelligence, arguing that he was caught in the crossfire of diplomatic tensions.
The French foreign ministry "assures us that state services are fully mobilised to secure his release."
Ryan’s arrest and trial came during a period heightened tensions between France and Azerbaijan over France’s support for Armenia.
France has a large Armenian diaspora and supplies arms to Yerevan.
Azerbaijan lifts Armenia border restrictions, but hurdles to peace remain
Renewing ties
French President Emmanuel Macron and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke by phone earlier this month and discussed revitalising bilateral relations and prospects for cooperation, Aliyev's office said in a readout.
Before his arrest, Ryan, who holds British citizenship as well, was the CEO of an Azerbaijani company, Merkorama, which imported food and raw materials and offered consulting services for foreign companies.
Ryan drew attention when hep published an open letter to the French president urging Paris to stop what he called its denigration of Azerbaijan and defending Baku's position in its conflict with Armenia.
In May last year Azerbaijan pardoned another French citizen, Theo Hugo Clerc, who had been jailed for three years for drawing graffiti in the Baku metro.
(with newswires)
