French espionage convict Martin Ryan released from Azerbaijan penitentiary

French citizen Martin Ryan has been released from the Lankaran penitentiary facility of the Ministry of Justice’s Penitentiary Service.

Oktay Mammadov, Deputy Head of the Penitentiary Service and Major General, announced the release during the implementation of the pardon order at Penitentiary Facility No. 17. According to him, two people were released from the Penitentiary Service facility in Lankaran, one of them a French citizen.

“Four people have been released under the pardon order in total — two each from penitentiary facilities in Nakhchivan and Lankaran,” Mammadov noted.

Ryan, who was charged with espionage on behalf of France, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes on March 16, 2026.

On September 23, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a pardon order covering a number of convicted individuals. A total of 20 people were pardoned, including 15 Azerbaijani citizens and five foreign nationals.

By Jeyhun Aghazada