BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 27. A new trial session regarding the criminal case of Martin Ryan and Azad Mammadli, who are arrested on charges of spying for France, has begun in a criminal case led by the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
The hearing, presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov, took place at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. During the session, Martin Ryan gave his testimony.
Ryan revealed that he had contact with three individuals at the French Embassy in Azerbaijan, all of whom were agents of the French intelligence services.
According to him, these individuals offered him a certain sum of money to carry out a risky task, which he declined.
"Those individuals were members of the Secret Service. They offered me a job in exchange for a certain amount of money, but I declined because it was too risky. They were always investigating countries competing with France. I trusted them and cooperated. Over time, I couldn’t cut ties with them. For this reason, I deeply regret my involvement. Ultimately, the French government is responsible for this situation.
I came to Azerbaijan intending to start a business. In 2015, I arrived as a tourist, and a year later, I met a man named Ramin. Together, we established a business, which grew over time. As our business flourished, my connections with the embassy deepened, and we successfully brought French companies to operate here. I eventually moved to Azerbaijan, where I immersed myself in the culture and learned the language.
"They manipulated us into maintaining a cooperative relationship. They wanted us to gather intelligence not only about Azerbaijan but also about Iran and Russia and report it back to them," he stated.
Fourth Agent at the French Embassy
Martin Ryan also mentioned the presence of a fourth agent at the French embassy:
"That agent had ties to Azad. I met him once as well," Ryan confessed.
Failure of France’s Intelligence Operation in Azerbaijan
"On December 20, 2023, the French president issued a decree dismissing Bernard Émy, the head of the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE). This move effectively marked an acknowledgment by the French government that its intelligence operations in Azerbaijan, carried out through its special services, had failed. At the same time, intelligence officers Jerome and Laurent were deported from Azerbaijan. These individuals were aware that Azad and I were being detained, yet not only did they fail to attempt to rescue us, they even refused to visit the State Security Service," Ryan explained.
Martin Ryan further testified that despite his efforts to contact the French press about his arrest, his case went unreported.
"Then, an Armenian blogger made my arrest public. This sparked a reaction, and the French government issued a statement, emphasizing that my arrest was illegal," he added.
Accusations Against the French Government
In the conclusion of his testimony, Martin Ryan held the French government responsible for his plight.
"The French government should have supported its citizen and not left me in this dire situation. I have been imprisoned for 15 months, losing almost everything. I believe the French government should treat me with honesty, offer me assistance, and apologize to me on behalf of the Azerbaijani state for the actions of those agents," he concluded.
The trial is set to resume on March 12.
To note, Martin Ryan and others were arrested on December 4, 2023. Martin Rian, CEO of Mercorama LLC, was charged with espionage.
According to the indictment, Martin Ryan was used as a spy agent by employees of the French DGSE (General Directorate of External Security), who involved him in secret cooperation and were subsequently expelled from Baku as a "persona non grata".
Along with Martin Ryan, Azad Mammadli, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will stand trial in this criminal case on charges of "high treason".
As is known, on December 20, 2023, Bernard Emy, the chief of the French Directorate General of External Security (DGSE), was fired from his position following the revelation of a significant espionage network and operational deficiencies.
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