We have made no such assessment.

The UK values the work of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe as well as our UK delegation in debating these important issues. The UK reaffirms its commitment to preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in all their diversity and we welcome calls for the intensification of efforts to address this violence.

The debate included reaffirming the commitments made to women and girls with disabilities outlined in the Istanbul Convention. As a ratifier of both the Istanbul Convention and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UK is clear on our international commitments to upholding the rights of women and girls in all their diversity and preventing violence against them and prioritises this through policies and action at home and overseas.

The debate rightly shined a spotlight on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the need for international action. The UK continues to support the people of Afghanistan and coordinate with European and other partners. Afghanistan remains one of FCDO's largest bilateral aid programmes this financial year at £100 million. Since April 2021, the UK has disbursed over £593 million in aid to Afghanistan. This includes £17 million to support humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan's neighbouring countries. This has assisted Afghan migrants and asylum seekers moving across borders, and refugee and host communities in those countries. We continue to monitor the situation.

We recognise the significance of the award of the Václav Havel Prize to Osman Kavala and the subsequent PACE debate. The award and the overwhelming vote in favour of the release of Mr Kavala, highlight that Osman Kavala remains in prison despite two separate rulings by the European Court of Human Rights calling for his immediate release, a call that the UK has consistently joined. We will continue to work with Council of Europe Member States including Turkey, to find a solution to the situation.

The UK values the work of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe and our UK delegation in debating these important issues. Free and fair elections are the key to a functioning democracy, allowing citizens to choose how they are governed and by whom - democratic and open societies cannot flourish without them. The internal oppression carried out by the Russian Government fuels external aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere. We remain concerned about whether the 2018 Russian presidential election and the 2020 constitutional referendum were free and fair. The UK remains committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine.

The UK recognises the vital role the Council of Europe has played in preventing conflict within Europe and wider member states since it was founded in 1949 following World War II. The Council's recent work in establishing a Register of Damages caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine is a good example of how a regional organisation can react swiftly in response to situations of conflict. The work of the European Court of Human Rights and the Committee of Ministers plays an important role in securing rights and freedoms across Europe, including against the threats to democracy at our doorstep.

The UK noted the debate held at the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe on the Humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and looks forward to the outcomes of the recent visit of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights to the region. We welcome the continued high levels of international engagement on these issues, the successful peaceful resolution of which are vital to the ongoing stability of the South Caucasus.

The UK’s National Cyber Strategy commits the UK to countering the proliferation of high-end cyber capabilities and reducing the opportunity for states and organised crime groups to access them via commercial and criminal marketplaces, as well as tackling forums that enable, facilitate, or glamorise cyber criminality.

With respect to spyware specifically, it is vital that all cyber capabilities are used in ways that are legal, responsible, and proportionate to ensure cyberspace remains a safe and prosperous place for everyone. In March 2023, the United Kingdom signed the Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware alongside 10 other like-minded countries, including the United States. As part of this, the UK and other signatories recognised the threat posed by the misuse of commercial spyware, such as Pegasus, and the need to strictly control its proliferation at both a domestic and international level.

The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 provides a legal framework for the use of investigatory powers by UK law enforcement and the intelligence community where it is necessary and proportionate to do so. The Act also contains strong safeguards, including a ‘double lock’, which requires warrants for the most intrusive powers to be authorised by a Secretary of State (or Chief Constable in case of Law Enforcement) and approved by a Judicial Commissioner, as well as rigorous independent oversight of their use by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner.

The UK supports the Council of Europe's role in highlighting the devastating consequences of Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, and welcomes the work of its Parliamentary Assembly in this regard. We support Ukraine's efforts to promote the principles needed to underpin a just and lasting peace based on the UN Charter, including President Zelenskyy's 'ten-point peace formula'. There is broad international consensus that for peace to be lasting it must be based on respect for the UN Charter, international law, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.

We recognise the significance of the award of the Václav Havel Prize to Osman Kavala and the subsequent PACE debate. The award and the overwhelming vote in favour of his release highlight that Osman Kavala remains in prison, despite the two European Court of Human Rights rulings calling for his immediate release. The UK has consistently joined this call. We will continue to work with Council of Europe Member States including Turkey, to find a solution to the situation.