Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the award of the Václav Havel Prize to Osman Kavala at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 9 October 2023.

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.