Shortly after the European Union lifted sanctions on Usmanov, Azerbaijan pardoned a French businessman who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison

Shortly after the EU lifted sanctions against Usmanov, a French businessman sentenced to 10 years in Azerbaijan was pardoned

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has pardoned French businessman Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of "espionage."

On September 14, the Financial Times, citing sources, published an article stating that the French government, under pressure from Azerbaijan, was lobbying to lift European Union sanctions against Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. According to the FT, lifting the sanctions was part of a deal to release French citizens detained in Azerbaijan.

Three European officials who spoke to the newspaper said that France and Slovakia had threatened to veto the extension of sanctions against 2,600 individuals and legal entities linked to Vladimir Putin. However, they demanded the removal of Alisher Usmanov from this list.

On September 22, it was revealed that the Council of the European Union had agreed to extend sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities for another three years. Meanwhile, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were removed from the sanctions list. According to FT sources, Luxembourg had requested the lifting of sanctions against Fridman.

Martin Ryan was detained in Azerbaijan in December 2023. He was accused of spying for the French intelligence services. In March 2024, Ryan was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

With his decree on September 23, Aliyev pardoned a total of 20 people. Among them is Kirill Mikhailov, a citizen of Russia and Israel, who was sentenced in Baku in December 2024.