Martin Ryan, who denied espionage, was among 20 people pardoned by President Aliyev, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency. His release came on the same day the EU removed Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Russian-Israeli oligarch Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list, which had been in place since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Diplomats indicated that France had pushed for an end to restrictions on Usmanov, after Slovakia initially pressed for his removal, citing national security concerns. The EU also agreed to extend sanctions on more than 3,000 other individuals and entities for three years, shifting from the previous six-month renewal cycle.
Usmanov had been listed by the EU as having "particularly close ties" to Russian President Vladimir Putin and for having "supported materially or financially and benefited from Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine." The metals and mining billionaire has denied this characterisation. He remains sanctioned by the UK and US.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha bitterly criticised the decision, saying Moscow was "celebrating, because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans."
Latvia initially opposed the move but chose to abstain, announcing it would impose its own sanctions on the two men. Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said the decision was a mistake.
A second Frenchman, Anass Derraz, remains in jail in Azerbaijan on charges of accepting a Russian bribe.