Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev pardons French citizen Martin Ryan, who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of espionage. Multiple outlets report the pardon occurs shortly after a related European Union sanctions development.
The reports link Ryan’s release to an exchange in which Alisher Usmanov is removed from the EU’s Russia sanctions list. Euronews and other sources describe the arrangement as part of a deal aimed at securing Ryan’s pardon, alongside the delisting of Usmanov. OC Media and JAMnews both note that Aliyev pardons Ryan the day after the EU sanctions are eased, while OC Media says Azerbaijan denies that it lobbies for or directly drives the delisting. Overall, outlets agree on the timing and the alleged connection, but they differ on attribution and whether Azerbaijan is actively involved in the sanctions change.
JAMnews further reports that Ryan had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and that the pardon is dated 23 September.
