# Azerbaijan pardons French prisoner after EU eases sanctions

https://mins.news/en/item/70285

- The Kyiv Independent, 2026-09-23 08:58 UTC
- World
- Original: https://kyivindependent.com/azerbaijan-pardons-french-prisoner-after-eu-caves-in-on-sanctions/

> Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev pardoned a French national on Sept. 23, France 24 reported, hours after the EU agreed under French pressure to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list. The move was reportedly linked to Azerbaijan holding two French nationals; Martin Ryan’s pardon lends support to that suspicion.

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