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The workload of the Armenian Human Rights Defender's Office has sharply increased in 2020, with a substantial increase reported in the number of received complaints, Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said at a parliamentary discussion of the 2021 draft state budget on Wednesday.

According to him, it is predicted that next year the workload will increase even more due to both the expansion of the spheres of activity and the current situation.

According to Tatoyan, until October 31, 2020 alone, 8,500 complaints were received over 12,000 people. This data does not include the ombudsman's visits to penitentiaries, police stations or other places. The data do not include also the ombudsman's expertise of legislative acts, applications to the Constitutional Court, work with courts, international structures, as well as monitorings of the ombudsman's staff in work with international convention bodies.

Speaking about the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against Artskah and targeting of the civilian population by the Azeri troops, the ombudsman stated that the terrorists, jihadists participating in the armed attacks against Artsakh will continue their terrorist acts in other countries.

"It is an internationally established fact that there are terrorists and jihadists participating in armed attacks against Artsakh. Proceedings have been initiated by an international body based on our application. We need to record at least three important facts: first, there are terrorists and jihadists, second, those terrorists and jihadists are committing war crimes, atrocities and third, they are going to continue their terrorist acts in other countries," Tatoyan stated.