Baku court found a French citizen guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 10 years in prison
In the Baku Court of Serious Crimes, the sentence was read in the criminal case of espionage against France: French citizen Martin Ryan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Azad Mammadli, a citizen of Azerbaijan, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The final court hearing on the criminal case investigated by the State Security Service (SSP) was chaired by judge Elmin Rustamov.
According to the verdict, Martin Ryan was sentenced to 10 years and Azad Mammadli to 12 years. Both men will serve their sentences in a maximum security correctional institution.
The court also decided that Martin Ryan will be deported from the Republic of Azerbaijan after serving his sentence.
According to the indictment, Martin Ryan received instructions from the French intelligence agencies to collect information on the production of arms and ammunition in Azerbaijan, the recruitment of soldiers by the Azerbaijani army during the 44-day Patriotic War, current or former military service persons, and citizens who studied French abroad.
The case materials also claim attempts to obtain information about foreign citizens and legal entities operating in Azerbaijan, the possibility of organizing secret money transfers within the country, and attempts to obtain information about Azerbaijan's military cooperation and relations with a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, Algeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, China, Somalia and Central Asian countries.
The investigation established that Ryan acted on behalf of officers of the French intelligence agency DGSE (Directorate General of External Security), who had previously been declared persona non-desirable and expelled from Baku.
Merkorama LLC CEO Martin Ryan was charged with Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, and Azad Mammadli, a citizen of Azerbaijan, was charged with Article 274 (treason). Both were detained by State Security Service employees on December 4, 2023.
