Frenchman jailed for 10 years in Azerbaijan: ‘I’m not a spy’

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Agence France-PresseMarch 16, 2026 at 01:54 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

In Azerbaijan, Frenchman Martin Ryan was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday after being found guilty of espionage. Ryan was arrested in December 2023 and accused of spying against Azerbaijan, allegedly cooperating with French security service employees operating from the French embassy in Baku. Prosecutors claimed he gathered information on Azerbaijan's relations with Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, as well as companies linked to Russia and China. The trial occurred during a period of heightened tensions between France and Azerbaijan, stemming from France's support for Armenia. An Azerbaijani citizen, Azad Mamedli, was also convicted of high treason in the same case and sentenced to 12 years.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Turkey 40% Iran 40% Russia 40% China 40% Pakistan 40% Armenia 50% Azad Mamedli 60% Paris ×260% Baku ×370% France ×370% Azerbaijan ×590% Martin Ryan ×490%

Keywords

martin ryan 90% espionage 90% france 80% azerbaijan 80% diplomatic tensions 70% spy charges 60% prison sentence 60% political relations 50% high treason 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Azerbaijan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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