European Parliament Calls on Yerevan to Provide Information on Spyware Usage

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has urged the governments of five countries to provide information regarding the use of spyware within three months.

PACE adopted a resolution stating that spyware has been used for illegitimate purposes by several member states of the Council of Europe. Confirming its stance on Pegasus and similar spyware and secret state surveillance, the Assembly has called on Poland, Hungary, Greece, Spain, and Azerbaijan to immediately and thoroughly investigate all cases of misuse of these programs, impose sanctions if such misuse is discovered, and compensate the victims.

The resolution also urges other member states that seem to have acquired or used Pegasus to clarify the usage of the software and the mechanisms for monitoring it within three months, naming Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

According to international human rights organizations, since 2015, more than 50 countries worldwide, including Armenia, have used the Pegasus spyware application to eavesdrop on journalists, activists, politicians, lawyers, and diplomats.