France, March 16 -- Martin Ryan, who was arrested in Azerbaijan in December 2023, was convicted Monday for spying.

He was accused of collecting information about Azerbaijan's military cooperation with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, and helping to recruit French-speaking Azerbaijanis to cooperate with French intelligence.

One of the recruits, Azad Mammadli, an Azerbaijani citizen, was tried for treason, alongside Ryan and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. France denies spying accusations

Authorities said Ryan arranged for Mammadji to meet French intelligence agents, who allegedly tasked him with recruiting Azerbaijanis and Russians at a Moscow university where he studied.

In his final statement to the court, Ryan denied spying and said ...