JAKARTA - Azerbaijan has sentenced a French citizen named Martin Ryan to 10 years in prison in a case of espionage when French-Azerbaijani relations were inflamed.
Martin Ryan was arrested in December 2023 and tried in January last year, when relations between Azerbaijan and France deteriorated to a low point because of France's support for Armenia, Azerbaijan's long-time rival.
AFP reporters observed in the courtroom on Monday, March 16, Ryan was found guilty of spying on Azerbaijan and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The sentence was one year lower than the prosecutor's demand, who accused Ryan of cooperating with French security service employees who allegedly operated from the French embassy in Baku.
Prosecutors say Ryan gathered information on Azerbaijan's relations with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, as well as on companies linked to Russia and China.
Ryan is on trial with an Azerbaijani citizen, Azad Mamedli, who was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Authorities say Ryan recruited Mamedli and arranged his meeting with a French intelligence agent, who allegedly tasked him with recruiting Azerbaijanis and Russians at a Moscow university where he studied.
In his last statement to the court, Ryan denied espionage and said he acted unconsciously.
"I consider myself guilty only because I should not have had contact with some embassy employees, or because I should not have shared information about them with the authorities," Ryan told the court.
"I didn't do espionage. I'm not a spy, and during the trial I tried to prove this," he continued.
Ryan's lawyer said his client also has British citizenship.
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