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Azerbaijan pardons jailed Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions on Russian oligarchs

Azerbaijan pardons jailed Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions on Russian oligarchs
France 24 Wednesday 23 September 2026, 07:53 UTC By FRANCE 24 1 min read
Key Points

Azerbaijan pardons jailed Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions on Russian oligarchs Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday pardoned a French national imprisoned for espionage a day after the EU lifted sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov following what diplomats said was pressure from Baku. The French national Martin Ryan was pardoned by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday. The pardon came a day after the EU lifted sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher...

Azerbaijan pardons jailed Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions on Russian oligarchs Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday pardoned a French national imprisoned for espionage a day after the EU lifted sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov following what diplomats said was pressure from Baku. The French national Martin Ryan was pardoned by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday. The pardon came a day after the EU lifted sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov following what diplomats said was pressure from Baku. Ryan had been serving a ten-year prison sentence in Baku following a conviction in March. Three European diplomats told Reuters that Paris had indicated in private that Baku was using Usmanov to pressure it over the case of two French citizens held in Azerbaijan, an assertion rejected by Baku. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
Azerbaijan (LOCATION) Frenchman (ORG) EU (ORG) Russian (ORG) Ilham Aliyev (PERSON) French (ORG) Alisher Usmanov (PERSON) Baku (LOCATION) Martin Ryan (PERSON) Ryan (PERSON) European (ORG) Paris (LOCATION) Usmanov (ORG) FRANCE (LOCATION)
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