The family of Martin Ryan, a Frenchman detained since December in Azerbaijan, asked President Emmanuel Macron to intervene on his behalf, in a letter sent Thursday February 1 to AFP.
“We dare to count on your good offices in order to hasten the release of our son in the best conditions
,” wrote the father of the inmate, Richard Ryan, in a letter dated January 23 which, he clarified Thursday, does not has not yet received a response.
French businessman, Martin Ryan is accused of espionage and was arrested a few days after the mutual expulsion of diplomats from the two countries, against a backdrop of strong bilateral tensions.
“A French citizen living for four years in Baku, Martin was arrested on December 4 (...) he is held in solitary confinement during an investigation which will last four months
,” according to the letter of January 23.
In this missive, Richard Ryan supports Baku's thesis according to which two diplomats his son frequented were in reality agents of the French services.
“We are aware that Martin is a collateral victim of the tensions between France and Azerbaijan
,” he wrote.
“Arbitrary detention”
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs then denounced an
“arbitrary detention”
.
On Thursday, Martin Ryan's father told AFP that his son had no longer received consular visits since December 28, due to lack of authorization.
Relations between Paris and Baku have deteriorated in recent months, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev criticizing France for supporting Armenia in the conflict between Yerevan and Baku.
For 30 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics, have been in a territorial conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
In September, Baku led a lightning offensive there leading to the capitulation of Armenian separatists.
Almost the entire Armenian population of the region - more than 100,000 people out of 120,000 - has since fled to Armenia.
The two neighbors had already clashed during two wars for control of this enclave.
Baku and Yerevan recently announced their desire to normalize their relations.
In this matter, France, host to a large Armenian diaspora, said it was ready to participate in mediation efforts, while displaying its unfailing support for Armenia.