Return of a Frenchman detained in Azerbaijan, released with the support of Kaja Kallas

musaddiqalii

May 28, 2025 - 02:01

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Return of a Frenchman detained in Azerbaijan, released with the support of Kaja Kallas

Paris – Théo Clerc, a Frenchman who benefited on Monday from the grace of the President of Azerbaijan, “is back in France, after 422 days in detention,” announced French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Tuesday, who expressed his “immense relief.”

“It is the honor and pride of French diplomacy and its agents to have acted tirelessly for his release,” he added before the National Assembly.

For her part, the entourage of the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, indicated that she had contributed to the Frenchman’s release by advocating for his cause during a visit to Azerbaijan in April.

This release “illustrates the effects of discreet diplomacy and respectful dialogue,” Ms. Kallas expressed in a message on X.

Théo Clerc, 38, had been sentenced in September 2024 to three years in prison for a graffiti in the Baku metro, the Azerbaijani capital, against a backdrop of tensions between France and this Caucasian country.

This conviction had been described by Paris as “arbitrary.” (May 27, 2025)