The short version
- Azerbaijan has pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who was serving a ten-year sentence for espionage charges denied by both him and the French government.
- The release occurred shortly after the EU agreed to remove sanctions from Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, a move that drew sharp criticism from Ukraine and some European allies.
- Diplomatic tensions have surfaced as France reportedly supported lifting restrictions on Usmanov, while Latvia abstained from the EU vote and imposed its own national measures against the oligarchs.
Azerbaijan has ordered the release of Martin Ryan, a French national who had been imprisoned for ten years on espionage charges. The pardon was issued by President Ilham Aliyev as part of a broader decree that freed twenty individuals, including citizens of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Ryan’s detention began in December 2023, and his conviction followed allegations that he collaborated with French security personnel to gather intelligence on Baku’s relationships with regional powers such as Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, as well as entities connected to Russia and China.
Ryan has consistently maintained his innocence, stating during court proceedings that he was not a spy and attempting to demonstrate the lack of evidence against him. The French government has also rejected the espionage accusations, viewing them as politically motivated. Despite Ryan’s release, another French citizen, Anass Derraz, remains incarcerated in Azerbaijan on separate charges involving alleged bribery from Russian sources. Additionally, Azad Mamedli, who was tried alongside Ryan and received a twelve-year sentence, was not included in the recent pardon list.
The timing of Ryan’s freedom has drawn attention due to its proximity to a significant shift in European Union policy regarding sanctions on Russian oligarchs. Hours before the Azerbaijani decree was announced, EU officials agreed to lift restrictions on two prominent businessmen: Alisher Usmanov, a metals and mining magnate with Russian-Uzbek ties, and Mikhail Fridman, a Russian-Israeli industrialist. Both men had been under embargo since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, alongside more than three thousand other individuals and entities.
The decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list has triggered intense diplomatic backlash. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned the move, arguing that it provides Moscow with a sense of impunity and undermines European unity. He suggested that the lifting of sanctions humiliates the EU and deepens divisions among member states. The EU had previously cited Usmanov as having particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused him of materially supporting decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine.
Usmanov has denied these characterizations, rejecting the notion that he benefits from or supports Russian political leadership. The billionaire faces sanctions not only from the EU but also from the United Kingdom and the United States. The initial push to remove Usmanov’s name from the list is understood to have come from Slovakia, with France subsequently backing the measure by highlighting national security concerns. It remains unclear what specific pressures or negotiations led to the final agreement to ease restrictions on these two figures.
Within the EU, the decision was not unanimous. Latvia initially opposed lifting the sanctions but ultimately chose to abstain from the vote. In response, Latvian officials announced they would impose their own national measures against Usmanov and Fridman. Foreign Minister Baiba Braže described the EU’s action as dangerous, warning that it sends the wrong signal at a time when Russian behavior is becoming increasingly aggressive. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs noted that French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed to begin discussions regarding Latvia’s potential accession to France’s nuclear deterrence initiative.
The diplomatic landscape between France and Azerbaijan has been strained in recent years, largely due to Paris’s close relationship with Armenia, a neighbor of Azerbaijan. However, there are signs of a thawing in relations. In May, Macron discussed developing ties with Aliyev, who later referred to a new era in their bilateral relationship. The release of Ryan may be seen as part of this broader effort to reset diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
While the immediate effect is Ryan’s freedom and the altered sanctions status of Usmanov and Fridman, the long-term implications remain uncertain. The EU has extended sanctions on other listed individuals and entities for three years, maintaining pressure on the broader network associated with Russian leadership. The divergent responses from member states like Latvia highlight the ongoing challenges in maintaining a cohesive European stance toward Russia. As diplomatic channels reopen between France and Azerbaijan, observers will watch to see whether this incident marks a sustained shift in regional alliances or merely a tactical adjustment.
Sources behind this briefing
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- BBC World↗Azerbaijan pardons Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions on Russian billionaire
