A new hearing has been held in the criminal case launched by the State Security Service (SSS) against Martin Ryan, accused of espionage for France, and Azad Mammadli, charged with treason, APA reports.
The trial at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, chaired by Judge Elmin Rustamov, continued with the announcement of Azad Mammadli’s testimony given during the preliminary investigation. In his statement, he said that he had scheduled a meeting with Frederic Devos, an employee of the French Embassy, during a phone conversation, but could not remember the reason. A. Mammadli noted that he had sent his CV to Frederic, who promised to help him get a job at a French company.
In another correspondence, Martin Ryan told Azad Mammadli that since his keyboard was not working, another French Embassy employee, Laurent Lodeit, had given him a keyboard and mouse as a gift. When presenting the gift, Laurent reportedly said that the embassy had a lot of unused equipment. At that point, Azad Mammadli began experiencing paranoia, suspecting that the French diplomats considered them sources rather than friends, and feared that Laurent might have placed a listening device or hidden camera in the equipment. He also told Martin that the French diplomats, who were replacing each other, saw them not as friends, but as sources: "We are different from other people. We are aware of the geopolitical situation in Azerbaijan and can even analyze it and provide information."
Later in the correspondence, Martin expressed suspicion that there could be a surveillance device in Azad’s home. He suggested verifying this with a specialist. A. Mammadli added that even secretly recording Martin’s words could be considered an act of betrayal for him.
Azad Mammadli asked Martin Ryan whether he could receive any benefit from the French Embassy. M. Ryan replied that, at the present time, such a thing would be dangerous.
During the continuation of the conversation, Martin Ryan told Azad Mammadli that intelligence officer Laurent Girard might want to obtain information about the anti-terror operation in Karabakh through the messaging app Signal. However, Martin was not sure, since at that time he had already deleted the Signal app he previously used.
In other conversations, the defendants discussed with each other Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran and the United States, the possible consequences of USAID’s closure in the country, and their fear of being monitored by the State Security Service (SSS).
The full announcement of Azad Mammadli’s testimony has been completed. He confirmed his statement and said: “As I stated in my testimony, I have not been an agent; I have been a source.”
The next session will continue on October 24 with the questioning of witnesses.
According to the indictment, Martin Ryan is suspected of receiving assignments and carrying out activities related to: obtaining information about weapons and ammunition produced in the Republic of Azerbaijan; the composition of the Azerbaijani Army during the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020; persons serving in or discharged from the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan who could potentially be recruited; individuals who studied abroad in French; foreign citizens and legal entities operating in Azerbaijan; organizing secret money transfers through Azerbaijan to other countries on the instructions of French intelligence services; Azerbaijan’s relations and cooperation with the United Kingdom, Algeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, China, Somalia, Central Asian states, and other countries; military cooperation plans; and the import of weapons and ammunition into Azerbaijan.
Note that the accused were arrested on December 4, 2023. The State Security Service of Azerbaijan (SSS) has charged Martin Ryan, the general director of Merkorama LLC, under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the charges, Martin Ryan was recruited for secret cooperation and used as an agent-spy by employees of France’s DGSE (Directorate-General for External Security), who were later declared “persona non grata” and expelled from Baku. Within the same criminal case, Azerbaijani citizen Azad Mammadli has also been charged under Article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (treason).
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
