Baku, Azerbaijan, December 29. The trial of Martin Ryan, accused of spying for France, has begun in a criminal case led by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, Trend reports.
Martin Ryan was provided with an interpreter and lawyer during his trial in the Baku Serious Crimes Court presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov. Martin Ryan also came out of the glass booth and sat next to the interpreter.
Representatives from the French and British embassies also participated in the trial.
The judge explained to the defendants their rights and obligations.
The defendant’s personal information was revealed late in the trial.
Martin Ryan was born on April 25, 1988 in Clermont-Ferrand and received his higher education. He majored in “International Relations, Military History and Geopolitics” at the University of Montpellier III, France. He has no criminal record and is single.
He was doing business in Azerbaijan. He supplied wine to Azerbaijan from abroad.
The court also noted that Martin Ryan was not only a French citizen but also a British citizen.
The personal information of Azad Mammadli, who was arrested along with Martin Ryan, was also revealed.
Azad Mammadli was born in 1995 and is said to have graduated from the Faculty of International Law of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He received his master’s degree in France.
Azad Mammadli worked as a lawyer at the International Bank from 2019 to 2023 before moving to the UK to work there. He was arrested two months after returning to Azerbaijan.
Azad Mammadli worked as a lawyer at the International Bank from 2019 to 2023 before moving to the UK to work there. He was arrested two months after returning to Azerbaijan.
Azad Mammadli’s lawyer filed a motion and requested that the chosen form of arrest and detention be replaced with house arrest for his client.
Martin Rian’s attorneys have requested that the criminal case be considered in open court session.
“As lawyers and citizens of Azerbaijan, we prefer to consider this criminal case in open court. Once the proceedings are concluded, representatives of the countries of which our clients are citizens will not be able to participate. We also want to ensure that representatives of the embassy do not allow court proceedings to take place in Azerbaijani courts. “Please let us see how transparent it is.”
The trial is scheduled for January 6, 2025.
The trial will be held in open court. A. Mammadli’s lawyer’s request for house arrest was not accepted.
For reference, Martin Ryan and others were arrested on December 4, 2023. Martin Rian, CEO of Mercorama LLC, was indicted on espionage charges.
According to the indictment, Martin Ryan was used as a spy by employees of France’s Directorate General of External Security (DGSE), who implicated him in secret collaborations and later deported him from Baku as “persona non grata.” It is done.
Along with Martin Ryan, Azad Mammadli, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will be tried in this criminal case on charges of “high treason”.
As reported, on December 20, 2023, Bernard Emier, head of France’s Foreign Security Service (DGSE), was dismissed after exposing a large-scale spy network and service failures.
