Azerbaijan pardons Frenchman Martin Ryan after European sanctions are lifted
Martin Ryan, imprisoned since the end of 2023, was pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev.
Quick Look
Azerbaijan pardoned Frenchman Martin Ryan, imprisoned since the end of 2023, shortly after the EU lifted sanctions targeting Russian oligarch Alicher Ousmanov, requested by Paris as part of a release agreement.
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Why It Matters
Martin Ryan had been imprisoned in Azerbaijan since the end of 2023 and was found guilty last March.
A new success for French diplomacy. Azerbaijan pardoned Martin Ryan, a Frenchman imprisoned in this Caucasian country since the end of 2023, on Wednesday, a decision coming a few hours after the lifting of European sanctions targeting Russian oligarch Alicher Ousmanov that France requested.
According to a decree from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev published on Wednesday, Martin Ryan is included in a list of 20 people pardoned and is the only French national to benefit from it.
A release agreement
According to a diplomat in Brussels, Paris lobbied EU member countries to lift sanctions against Alisher Ousmanov as part of a prisoner release deal involving French citizens detained in Azerbaijan.
Martin Ryan, a businessman who settled in Azerbaijan in 2019, was arrested in December 2023. Tried last March, he was found guilty last March. These accusations were rejected by France.
Open Questions
- Who are the other people on the pardoned list?
- What were the exact rewards of this agreement?
