Baku сourt to hear appeals in espionage, treason case involving French citizen

The Baku Court of Appeals has scheduled a preliminary hearing for June 11 to consider appeals against the convictions of French citizen Martin Ryan and Azerbaijani national Azad Mammadli.

The hearing will be overseen by Judge Murad Mammadov, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Ryan and Mammadli were arrested in December 2023 as part of a criminal investigation conducted by Azerbaijan's State Security Service. In a subsequent ruling, the Baku Court for Serious Crimes sentenced Ryan to 10 years in prison on espionage charges and Mammadli to 12 years on charges of treason.

According to Azerbaijani authorities, Ryan, who served as director of Merkorama LLC, allegedly carried out assignments on behalf of officers from France's external intelligence agency, the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE). Investigators also alleged that he facilitated contact between Mammadli and French intelligence personnel.

The officials involved were later declared persona non grata by Azerbaijan, according to the investigation.

Ryan was convicted under Article 276 (espionage) of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code, while Mammadli was convicted under Article 274 (treason).