Azerbaijan has pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been serving a prison sentence for espionage, in a development linked to France’s efforts to secure the removal of Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov from the European Union’s Russia sanctions list.
The case connects a presidential pardon in Baku with a wider dispute involving detained French nationals, EU restrictive measures and diplomatic pressure over sanctions related to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
What happened in Azerbaijan?
President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning several convicted individuals on 23 September 2026. Ryan was among those released, alongside 19 other prisoners. Four of the pardoned individuals were foreign nationals, although Ryan was the only EU citizen identified in the report.
The Azerbaijani presidential office said the decision was based on humanitarian considerations, including the prisoners’ health, family circumstances, the nature of their offences, their conduct in prison and the length of their sentences.
Ryan, a French businessman, was arrested in December 2023 and later sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges. Azerbaijani authorities accused him of collecting information about the country’s armed forces for France’s foreign intelligence service, the Directorate-General for External Security, known by its French initials DGSE.
France rejected the proceedings, describing the case as arbitrary and the trial as unfair. The French authorities have not accepted the allegations against Ryan as established wrongdoing.
How the pardon is linked to EU sanctions
The release formed part of a reported diplomatic arrangement involving Paris and Baku. France sought the removal of Alisher Usmanov from the EU’s Russia sanctions list, while Azerbaijan was expected to release French nationals detained in the country.
On 22 September, the EU renewed its sanctions framework covering more than 2,600 individuals and entities considered connected to the Kremlin or supportive of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Usmanov was removed from the renewed list following a request supported by France.
EU sanctions are adopted through a formal legal process and can include asset freezes and travel restrictions. Being removed from a sanctions list does not amount to a court finding that a person has committed no wrongdoing, nor does it necessarily settle wider political or legal disputes surrounding that individual.
Usmanov has denied having ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Key points in the reported arrangement
- Martin Ryan was pardoned by Azerbaijan and released from prison.
- His detention had followed an espionage conviction and a 10-year sentence.
- France had challenged the proceedings and sought the release of French nationals.
- Alisher Usmanov was removed from the EU’s renewed Russia sanctions list.
- Another French national, Anass Derraz, reportedly remains detained.
What is known about Anass Derraz?
The second French national believed to be connected to the discussions is Anass Derraz, a water-management executive. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being accused of accepting a bribe in 2018 from an Azerbaijani-Russian businessman in connection with efforts to release an impounded yacht.
Derraz remains in detention, meaning the reported arrangement has not resulted in the release of all French nationals involved in the dispute. His case may therefore continue to be a central issue in relations between France and Azerbaijan.
Why the case matters for European affairs
The development is significant because it brings together three sensitive areas of European affairs: EU sanctions policy, consular diplomacy and relations with a non-EU country in the South Caucasus.
The EU sanctions list was designed to pressure individuals and organisations considered linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Any removal from that list can attract close attention from member states, the European Parliament and civil society groups, particularly when it occurs alongside a bilateral prisoner-release effort.
At the same time, the case demonstrates how national diplomacy can intersect with EU foreign policy. France participated in the EU decision-making process on sanctions, but the pardon itself was an Azerbaijani presidential decision rather than an EU measure.
The episode also highlights the limits of sanctions as a diplomatic instrument. Restrictive measures can affect travel, assets and commercial relationships, but their use in negotiations may raise questions about consistency, transparency and the relationship between national foreign policy and common EU action.
What happens next?
Further attention is likely to focus on whether Derraz is released and whether France and Azerbaijan issue fuller details about any agreement. The legal status of Usmanov’s delisting will also remain relevant, including the formal EU documentation setting out the renewed sanctions list.
For EU observers, the key distinction is between the political reporting surrounding the arrangement and the formal legal act that removed Usmanov from the sanctions framework. The pardon was issued by Azerbaijan; the sanctions change followed the EU’s own legal procedure.
Conclusion
Martin Ryan’s release marks a notable development in the dispute between France and Azerbaijan, but it does not end the wider case. The reported link between his pardon and Alisher Usmanov’s removal from the EU sanctions list shows how European sanctions, national diplomacy and the treatment of foreign nationals can become closely connected. The next major question is whether Anass Derraz will also be released and how France, Azerbaijan and EU institutions explain the agreement.
