Azerbaijan – Martin Ryan’s sentence upheld (July 30, 2026)

Azerbaijan – Martin Ryan’s sentence upheld (July 30, 2026)

France denounces the Court of Appeal’s upholding of the arbitrary 10-year prison sentence handed down against our compatriot, Martin Ryan, in Azerbaijan. We reiterate our rejection of the allegations presented by Azerbaijan to justify its hostile actions toward him and demand his immediate release.

As soon as our compatriot was arrested in December 2023, the Embassy of France in Baku contacted the appropriate Azerbaijani authorities in order to offer him consular protection, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Embassy representatives attended all of his trial hearings.

As a reminder, French citizens, including dual nationals, are advised not to travel to Azerbaijan unless absolutely necessary due to the risk of arbitrary detention and unfair judgments in that country.