• Azerbaijan pardoned French national Martin Ryan, jailed for espionage since 2023.
• The pardon follows the EU's removal of sanctions on Russian billionaires Usmanov and Fridman.
• Ryan denied the espionage charges, which were linked to Azerbaijan's military ties.
• Relations between Azerbaijan and France remain tense, particularly over France's support for Armenia.
• A second French prisoner, Anass Derraz, was not pardoned and remains incarcerated.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Martin Ryan, a French national imprisoned on espionage charges, on September 23, shortly after the European Union lifted sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Ryan had been serving a ten-year sentence after being convicted in March 2024, allegations that he and the French government have consistently denied, with Ryan asserting, "I did not spy. I am not a spy..." according to Le Monde, Reuters, and BBC.

The pardon reflects broader geopolitical relations, as the EU's removal of sanctions was reportedly influenced by diplomatic pressures from Baku. According to three European diplomats, the French government had suggested that the sanctions removal was connected to negotiations regarding two French citizens detained in Azerbaijan, with Martin Ryan being one of them, alongside Anass Derraz, who remains imprisoned on corruption charges, according to Reuters and BBC.

The decision to pardon Ryan also highlights the ongoing tension between Azerbaijan and France, primarily fueled by France's support for Armenia amidst decades-long conflicts. Azerbaijan's move comes against a backdrop of frustration from Ukraine, which condemned the EU's sanction removals as "shameful and unjustifiable," underlining concerns about the implications of such diplomatic maneuvers, according to Reuters and BBC.

Under Aliyev's decree, Ryan was one of 20 individuals pardoned, reflecting an attempt to improve international standing and relations, particularly with European nations. The specific conditions leading to the sanctions' lifting remain unclear, though the EU has acknowledged the complexities of maintaining a united front against Russia amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to Le Monde, Reuters, and BBC.