Espionage trial: Martin Ryan denies secret meetings in Azerbaijan

A British national accused of espionage on behalf of France has denied holding secret meetings with foreign agents, telling a Baku court that his conversations were conducted openly in public view.

Martin Ryan, the director-general of Merkorama LLC, and Azerbaijani citizen Azad Mammadli are both on trial as part of a high-profile criminal case brought by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (SSS), Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Ryan is charged with espionage under Article 276 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, while Mammadli faces charges of high treason under Article 274.

Speaking at Tuesday’s hearing at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov, Ryan said there had been misunderstandings in the translation of his earlier statements.

“I wish to clarify that expressions such as ‘covert cooperation’ and ‘secret meetings’ were inaccurately translated into French as 'clandestine meetings',” Ryan told the court.

“But I never met with anyone in secret. All my conversations with the alleged agents took place in public, in front of numerous people. Everyone, including Azad Mammadli, was aware.”

His testimony was followed by a reading of previous statements given during the investigation.

The next hearing is scheduled for 8 September.

Ryan and Mammadli were arrested on December 4, 2023. According to prosecutors, Ryan was allegedly recruited as a spy by officers from the French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), who were later expelled from Azerbaijan and declared persona non grata.

Mammadli is accused of facilitating the alleged espionage and betraying state interests.

Both men deny the charges.

By Aghakazim Guliyev