News - Azerbaijan ambassador to France confirms arrest of Frenchman Martin Ryan, suspected of espionage

A citizen of France, who is suspected of having committed acts of espionage, was arrested in Azerbaijan. The ambassador of Azerbaijan to France, Leyla Abdullayeva, told AFP this, APA reports. "Suspected of having committed acts of espionage, Martin Ryan, a French national, was arrested on December 4, 2023," said Azerbaijan's envoy to France. According to the diplomat, the Azerbaijani judicial authorities have ordered that Ryan be detained for four months. The French embassy in Azerbaijan was notified as soon as he was arrested, the ambassador added. Martin Ryan's father, Richard, said that the family had spoken to him. "We spoke to him four times, each time for two minutes. He says he's being treated well and is getting on well with his lawyer," Richard Ryan told AFP. Azerbaijan has declared two French diplomats "persona non grata," and in reciprocation, France took the same step regarding two Azerbaijani diplomats.