Pardon Follows EU Sanctions Decision
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev issued a pardon on Wednesday for Martin Ryan, a French national who had been convicted of espionage and sentenced to ten years in prison in Baku. The pardon was announced a day after the European Union agreed to lift sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. According to Aliyev's website, the pardon was part of a broader decree that freed 20 individuals, taking into account their personalities, health, family situations, and other factors. Ryan's release came after a March conviction that had strained relations between France and Azerbaijan.[S1]
EU Lifts Sanctions on Russian Billionaires
Diplomats said the EU decided on Tuesday to prolong its Russia sanctions while dropping Usmanov and Fridman from the list as part of a deal. According to three European diplomats who spoke to Reuters, Paris had privately suggested that Baku was exploiting Usmanov to apply pressure regarding two French citizens detained in Azerbaijan, something Baku denies. A senior diplomat in Brussels told AFP that France had lobbied for the EU to remove sanctions from a Russian billionaire in order to win the release of French prisoners.[S1]
Ukraine Condemns Sanctions Relief
The decision to end asset freezes and visa bans for the two billionaires drew an angry response from Ukraine, which said the EU ought to be tightening rather than easing pressure on Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on social media that Moscow is celebrating, having gained a feeling of impunity, the humiliation of the EU and splits among Europeans. He called on every EU member state to declare at once that it will apply its own national sanctions to the two men. The affair highlights EU tensions over balancing diplomatic deals with backing for Ukraine.[S1]
