Azerbaijan has pardoned a French citizen imprisoned on espionage charges, following the removal of European Union sanctions on Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, according to Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). The Zioneer reported Tuesday that the EU agreed to remove Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list.
Azerbaijan granted a presidential pardon on Wednesday to a French citizen who was imprisoned in the country on espionage charges, according to a report by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). The decision came shortly after the European Union removed Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov from its sanctions list — a development The Zioneer reported on Monday night.
The Zioneer first reported on Monday at 23:52 Jerusalem that the EU had agreed to lift sanctions on Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman following pressure from France. The current report from N12 suggests a direct link between the EU decision and the pardon, though the mechanism of coordination remains unspecified. The initial sanctions story was based on The Zioneer's own reporting; the pardon is attributed solely to N12.
As The Zioneer reported in its earlier dispatch, Usmanov is an Uzbek-born Russian oligarch with close ties to Azerbaijan. The easing of Western sanctions on him appears to have triggered a reciprocal gesture from Baku. The French detainee's case had been a point of tension between France and Azerbaijan.
The identity of the French detainee, the exact timing of the pardon, and any official confirmation from Azerbaijani or French authorities have not been released. The nature of the espionage charges also remains undisclosed.
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake