Azerbaijan Sentences French National Martin Ryan to 10 Years for Espionage

Overview

• A Baku court found the businessman guilty of spying for France and handed down a decade-long sentence after a trial that began in January 2025.
• Ryan told the court he is not a spy and said his only contacts were with employees of the French embassy in Baku.
• Prosecutors allege he was recruited by DGSE operatives working at the French embassy, who were later expelled from Azerbaijan.
• The indictment listed tasks including information on the 2021 Shusha declaration, Azerbaijan’s ties with Iran, Pakistan, Algeria and Somalia, photographs of Pakistani-supplied arms, and data on firms linked to Russia and China.
• An alleged accomplice, Azad Mamedli, was sentenced to 12 years for high treason as the ruling came eight days after a Macron–Aliyev call that Baku said could help relaunch dialogue.