President Aliyev pardons jailed Frenchman in Azerbaijan — France 24

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan. This was reported by France 24, citing Reuters.

Ryan’s sentence

Before being pardoned, Ryan was serving a 10-year prison sentence in Baku. He was sentenced in March in an espionage case.

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Sanctions lifted

Aliyev’s decision was made the day after the European Union lifted sanctions against Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. According to diplomats, the sanctions were lifted after pressure from Baku.

Diplomats’ statements

Three European diplomats told Reuters that Paris had privately indicated that Baku had used Usmanov as leverage against France. According to them, this pressure concerned the cases of two French citizens held in Azerbaijan. Baku rejected this claim.