A court in Baku has sentenced a French national, Martin Ryan, to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of espionage, according to reporting by Reuters and other outlets citing the Russian state news agency RIA.
Ryan was arrested in December 2023. Azerbaijani authorities say he gathered information concerning the country’s military cooperation with Türkiye and Pakistan on behalf of France.
French officials have denied the allegations against Ryan. Paris previously condemned his detention as unjustified and called on Azerbaijani authorities to release him without delay.
Before his arrest, Ryan had been working in Azerbaijan for a food-importing company that also provided consulting services, according to prosecutors.
Authorities also alleged that Ryan helped establish contact between French intelligence and an Azerbaijani citizen, Azad Mammadli. Mammadli, who was tried alongside Ryan, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. At the start of the trial, he denied any wrongdoing.
Ryan faced a single formal charge under Article 276 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, which concerns espionage. Although the indictment contained numerous factual elements - including the alleged gathering of information related to Azerbaijan’s military cooperation - these formed part of one charge rather than separate offences.
Ryan did not plead guilty to espionage. Instead, he acknowledged certain factual circumstances of the case, including meetings with staff from the French embassy and acting as a source of information, while denying that these actions amounted to espionage.
Because the case involved only one charge, legal analysts said the notion of a “partial plea” in the usual sense did not apply.
Legal analysts said Ryan acknowledged certain factual circumstances of the case but denied that they constituted espionage, noting that acknowledging factual circumstances does not amount to an admission of guilt.
Relations between Baku and Paris have at times been strained in recent years, partly due to France’s close ties with Armenia, Azerbaijan’s rival in several conflicts over the past four decades, although relations have improved more recently.
In May last year, Azerbaijan pardoned another French citizen, Theo Hugo Clerc, who had been sentenced to three years in prison after drawing graffiti in the Baku Metro.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is “semi-negotiating” with Iran as uncertainty surrounds efforts to ease regional tensions....
Kyrgyzstan is facing fuel supply challenges after shipments of petroleum products from Russia and Belarus fell sharply in July, pushing prices higher ...
Iran is moving to ratify a long-delayed agreement governing the Caspian Sea, as Tehran seeks closer economic cooperation with neighbouring states whil...
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of August, covering the latest developments.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is increasingly penetrating Russia's air-defence network, as both sides stepped up overnight strikes on energy, logistics and port infrastructure.
Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people, disrupting flights and leaving more than 50,000 buildings without power, as China shut ports and suspended transport services ahead of the storm’s expected arrival on its east coast.
Kyrgyzstan is facing fuel supply challenges after shipments of petroleum products from Russia and Belarus fell sharply in July, pushing prices higher and forcing the country to look for alternative suppliers.
Iran is moving to ratify a long-delayed agreement governing the Caspian Sea, as Tehran seeks closer economic cooperation with neighbouring states while facing heightened security concerns and mounting pressure on its economy.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that soaring fertiliser prices could threaten Afghanistan’s 2027 wheat harvest despite favourable growing conditions, appealing for $38.3 million to support farmers before planting.
Kazakhstan has released an Amur tiger into the wild for the first time in more than 70 years, marking the beginning of a long-term effort to restore the species to its historic range in Central Asia.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remarked upon progress made towards normalising relations between Baku and Yerevan in a phone call on the first anniversary of the Washington peace summit.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment