Martin Ryan case: Which states were secretly targeted by France?

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected a statement issued by France on July 30, Report informs.

The French statement questioned the legality of the court proceedings and verdict against French citizen Martin Ryan, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said earlier.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described as unacceptable Paris's attempt to give a political assessment to the court proceedings, interfere in the work of Azerbaijani courts, and present Ryan's detention as "groundless" and the trial as "unfair."

The ministry stressed that the criminal case against Martin Ryan had been investigated in full compliance with Azerbaijani law. It said the court made its decision based on the evidence presented, while all procedural rights of the accused were ensured at every stage of the investigation and trial. Representatives of the consular service of the French Embassy in Azerbaijan also attended all court hearings.

In light of what it called the French Foreign Ministry's hasty and emotional reaction, Caliber.Az said its staff had closely followed the trial together with French Embassy consular representatives and considered it necessary to draw attention to several important aspects of the case.

The outlet noted that, according to earlier media reports, the trial revealed methods believed to be used by a spy network said to have been run by representatives of the French diplomatic corps operating in Azerbaijan. In particular, members of the network were said to have used translators, intimate relationships and other recruitment methods to secretly infiltrate diplomatic missions of various states and gain access to confidential information.

Caliber.Az said numerous technical materials were presented during the trial, testimony was heard from people directly involved in these activities, and confessional statements by Martin Ryan and other defendants in the case were read out.

Against this background, the outlet said it was important to determine and publicly disclose which diplomatic missions had allegedly been targeted by the illegal activities of the French spy network.

Caliber.Az said that if France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs was genuinely interested in the details of the criminal case, it could ask the security body that conducted the investigation and the court to disclose the names of those embassies now that the trial had ended.

The outlet said such information could generate serious public interest both in France and in countries that Paris officially describes as allies and friends, but where it is alleged to have carried out covert intelligence activities.

The article also said the relevant French authorities were well aware that the question of which countries had allegedly been targeted by the spy network was only one episode in this and related criminal cases, and that other details could be made public over time.

Caliber.Az noted that on December 20, 2023, just days after arrests, successive exposures and the expulsion of several people from Azerbaijan as persona non grata as part of the criminal case investigated in Baku, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed Bernard Emie as head of France's Directorate-General for External Security, DGSE.

The outlet also called on France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to show the same openness regarding the criminal case involving Anass Derraz and Alexandre Benalla. The case concerns allegations that French officials took bribes in exchange for protecting the assets of foreign billionaires from European sanctions.