In a statement released today marking International Labour Day, Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan said that “diligence and respect towards labor and the workers are unique Armenian national features that must be preserved to strengthen our families and state.”

Stepanyan said that there is sufficient legislation on the books to ensure the protection of labor rights in Artsakh and that more must be done to publicize labor protection mechanisms.

The HRD received 75 labor complaints last year, mostly about the unsubstantiated termination of work contracts, the non-provision of final settlements, and the imposition of disciplinary sanctions without following legal procedure.