Azerbaijani president pardons Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions against Russian oligarchs

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who was convicted of espionage, following the removal of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list.

Source: European Pravda, citing the decree on the Azerbaijani president's website

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

This happened after the EU extended sanctions against individuals responsible for undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence for a further 36 months, but removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list.

It was reported that France insisted on Usmanov's removal from the sanctions lists, as it was attempting to "trade" this decision for the release of several of its citizens currently held in Azerbaijani prisons.

France's persistent efforts to remove him from the list caused dissatisfaction among other EU member states, some of which argued that the lifting of sanctions for political motives sets a dangerous precedent.

Ukraine described the step as "shameful".

For reference: Martin Ryan is the Chief Executive Officer of Mercorama. He was detained in Azerbaijan in December 2023. According to an investigation, he followed instructions from people posing as diplomats in Azerbaijan who were allegedly employees of the French intelligence services.

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