We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 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. File photo of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev taken at a news conference in Berlin, Germany on July 21, 2026. © Ebrahim Noroozi, AP 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 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. 'I am a prisoner of conscience': Ali Karimli, the opposition figure defying Azerbaijan’s regime France recalls its ambassador to Azerbaijan, accuses Baku of 'damaging' ties 1. 1 ## Third-country removals: Trump’s deportation policy by the numbers 2. 2 ## Investigation: In Cameroon, the victims of Trump’s deportations face uncertain fates Investigation Africa 3. 3 ## Ukraine slams EU's 'unacceptable' move to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs As it happened Europe 4. 4 ## Thousands protest in France against bill expanding protections for police use of force France 5. 5 ## French police arrest two Germans after 'for fun' Louvre stunt in Mona Lisa hall France 6. 6 ## Two tankers hit by 'unknown projectile' or debris in Strait of Hormuz Middle East © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Audience ratings certified by ACPM.ACPM The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
