A French national has been found guilty of spying on the military in Azerbaijan and sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security prison, state media report. Martin Ryan was accused in December 2023 of spying on behalf of Paris and collecting secret information about Baku's military co-operation with Turkey and Pakistan. He was also accused of helping recruit French-speaking Azerbaijanis to co-operate with French intelligence. Both France and Ryan have repeatedly denied the spying allegations.
Ryan was put on trial alongside an Azerbaijani citizen, Azad Mamedli, who was sentenced to 12 years for treason, AFP news agency reports. France previously described Ryan's detention as arbitrary and demanded his immediate release.
During his trial, prosecutors alleged he had co-operated with employees of France's security services allegedly operating from the French embassy in Baku. They claimed Ryan had gathered information about Azerbaijan's relations with Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, as well as companies linked to Russia and China. Furthermore, Ryan was accused of recruiting Mamedli and arranging for him to meet French intelligence agents, who allegedly tasked him with recruiting Azerbaijanis and Russians at a Moscow university where he studied.
In Ryan's final statement to the court, he denied spying and stated, I did not spy. I am not a spy, and during the court case I tried to prove this. France has argued that Ryan is a victim of geopolitical tensions, which have escalated due to France's support for Azerbaijan's rival Armenia. Relations between the two countries have soured in recent years, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accusing France of alleged crimes against overseas territories after riots in New Caledonia. Despite tensions, in October, Aliyev and President Macron reported efforts to resolve past misunderstandings.
Ryan was put on trial alongside an Azerbaijani citizen, Azad Mamedli, who was sentenced to 12 years for treason, AFP news agency reports. France previously described Ryan's detention as arbitrary and demanded his immediate release.
During his trial, prosecutors alleged he had co-operated with employees of France's security services allegedly operating from the French embassy in Baku. They claimed Ryan had gathered information about Azerbaijan's relations with Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, as well as companies linked to Russia and China. Furthermore, Ryan was accused of recruiting Mamedli and arranging for him to meet French intelligence agents, who allegedly tasked him with recruiting Azerbaijanis and Russians at a Moscow university where he studied.
In Ryan's final statement to the court, he denied spying and stated, I did not spy. I am not a spy, and during the court case I tried to prove this. France has argued that Ryan is a victim of geopolitical tensions, which have escalated due to France's support for Azerbaijan's rival Armenia. Relations between the two countries have soured in recent years, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accusing France of alleged crimes against overseas territories after riots in New Caledonia. Despite tensions, in October, Aliyev and President Macron reported efforts to resolve past misunderstandings.
