Martin Ryan pardoned

Martin Ryan, accused of spying for France, has been pardoned.

According to TodayPress TV, this was reflected in the order of the President of Azerbaijan on pardoning a number of convicted persons.

Under the order, Martin Ryan, born in 1988, a citizen of the French Republic, convicted by the Baku Serious Crimes Court on March 16, 2026, has been pardoned.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Baku Serious Crimes Court on March 16, 2026.

According to the indictment, Martin Ryan was suspected of receiving assignments and engaging in activities related to obtaining information about weapons and ammunition produced in Azerbaijan, the equipping of the Azerbaijani Army during the 44‑day Patriotic War of 2020, individuals serving or discharged from military service in the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, persons educated abroad in French, foreign citizens and legal entities operating in Azerbaijan, organizing secret money transfers through Azerbaijan to other countries on the instructions of French intelligence, Azerbaijan"s relations and cooperation with the United Kingdom, Algeria, Türkiye, Pakistan, Iran, China, Somalia, Central Asian states and other countries, as well as military cooperation plans and imported weapons.

He was arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan on December 4, 2023. Martin Ryan, CEO of Merkorama LLC, was charged with spying. According to the indictment, Martin Ryan was recruited into secret cooperation and used as an agent-spy by employees of France's DGSE (Directorate General for External Security), who were later declared persona non grata and expelled from Baku. In this criminal case, Martin Ryan was charged under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.