French graffiti artist sentenced in Azerbaijan
In Baku, a French citizen was sentenced to three years in prison for graffiti on metro cars. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a warning to its citizens, advising against travel to Azerbaijan unless absolutely necessary “due to the risk of arbitrary detention and unfair trials in a country whose judicial system offers no guarantees of independence or protection of rights.” The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with a statement.
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What happened?
On September 10, the Narimanov District Court in Baku announced the verdict for three foreigners who had entered a depot and painted graffiti on Baku metro cars.
The sentence was handed down to French citizen Clerc Theo Hugo, New Zealand citizen De-Saint Quentin Ismael, and Australian citizen Han Paul.
According to Turan, lawyer Elchin Sadigov said that the court viewed the graffiti, which had no political message, as “hooliganism” that led to significant consequences—”damage to someone else’s property.”
The French citizen received a three-year prison sentence.
The other two were fined 6,800 manats (around $4,000).
The lawyer pointed out that the damage had been fully paid for, including compensation for the train’s downtime.
The defendants admitted to creating the graffiti but said they didn’t do it out of hooliganism or to cause harm. They mentioned they had done similar things in other countries, where they were usually fined up to 400 euros.
The lawyer said they would appeal the court’s decision.
Two trials for the same act
The individuals were detained in March 2024.
Although Theo Clerc and the others were initially given administrative fines, a criminal case was later opened against them for the same act.
On April 2, the Yasamal District Court sentenced Theo Clerc to three months of arrest, while his friends were released under police supervision.
Theo Clerc stated that he had no intention of committing a crime or causing harm, claiming he was punished “because of the tension between Azerbaijan and France.”
“It’s wrong to punish me because of relations with France. I came here with friends as a regular tourist. I don’t represent France. We had not been to Azerbaijan before, so we decided to visit,” the 38-year-old graffiti artist said in court.
France calls for caution in traveling to Azerbaijan
France condemned the “arbitrary and blatantly discriminatory treatment” of its citizen Theo Clerc in Azerbaijan, who was sentenced to three years in prison for graffiti in the metro. “Meanwhile, the two other defendants received only fines for the same actions,” said a statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Immediately after Clerc’s detention, the French Embassy in Baku contacted Azerbaijani authorities to ensure consular protection for the French citizen, in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Embassy representatives attended all court sessions.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its warning to French citizens, including those with dual citizenship, to avoid traveling to Azerbaijan unless absolutely necessary “due to the risk of arbitrary detention and unfair trials in a country where the judicial system does not provide guarantees of independence or rights protection.”
This warning was first issued on September 4.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry: “France ignores Azerbaijani legal procedures”
“Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs finds France’s statements about ‘discrimination’ against French citizen Theo Clerc and the ‘unfair’ court decision, as well as France’s disregard for Azerbaijani judicial procedures, unacceptable. The accusations from France are unfounded,” said Ayhan Hajiyev, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
He stated that the verdict against the French citizen, who deliberately damaged state property, falls within the court’s jurisdiction, and the French side has no right to question this decision.
“The French citizen is imprisoned under the Azerbaijani Criminal Code article ‘Deliberate Destruction or Damage to Property’. It is noted that Theo Clerc had previously been fined in France for similar actions.
According to the investigation and court findings, the French citizen showed particular initiative and activity in committing the crime.
It was also found that his testimony during the court proceedings did not match the objective circumstances of the case. His insincere statements in court, claiming ignorance of such illegal actions in Azerbaijan despite previous fines for similar acts, as well as his lack of remorse, are factors contributing to the severity of his punishment compared to the other two individuals,” Hajiyev added.
Tensions between Azerbaijan and France
Relations between France and Azerbaijan have worsened since Paris supported Yerevan during the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia has started purchasing armored vehicles from France, and in February 2024, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that Paris was prepared to provide Armenia with air defense missiles if necessary.
In December 2023, French businessman Martin Ryan was arrested in Baku on charges of espionage. The same month, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador to announce the expulsion of two diplomatic staff members.
In March 2024, Ali Nagiev, head of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, claimed that France was arming Armenia and inciting it to a new war in Karabakh.
“Not satisfied with this, France is undermining Azerbaijan’s national security by engaging various individuals in secret cooperation through its intelligence representatives, creating a spy network,” he stated.
In April, the French Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador from Baku.
In January 2024, the French Senate approved a resolution calling on the European Union to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan due to Baku’s actions in Karabakh.
In May, mass unrest erupted in New Caledonia (a French territory in the Pacific), with Paris accusing Azerbaijan of involvement. Azerbaijani officials rejected these claims as unfounded.