Economy
Pardon Granted to Frenchman Day After EU Removes Two Russians from Sanctions List
Azerbaijan granted a pardon to French national Martin Ryan, who was sentenced to ten years for espionage, following pressure from France and Luxembourg to remove two Russian oligarchs from EU sanctions lists. The European Union removed Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov and Russian banker Mikhail Fridman from the list, actions that sparked anger among other EU member states. Frankrijk had sought Usmanov's removal to secure the release of French citizens held in Azerbaijan, while Luxembourg wanted Fridman removed due to financial losses at Alfa-Bank. Ukrainian President Zelensky criticized the move as Russian interference and pledged to re-list the names. France described Ryan's release as a humanitarian gesture, while Azerbaijan denied exerting pressure, calling the sanctions unjust.
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