A total of 4,655 complaints about human rights violations were received in 2024 by human rights commissioner Maria Stylianou-Lottides, she said on Monday handing her annual report over to President Nikos Christodoulides.

According to the report, the office of the commissioner managed 2,507 new cases and closed a total of 2,709, an average of 260 cases per month.

The report said this reflected both the “increased workload and the institution’s continued operational effectiveness.”

The commissioner also presented the annual reports of both the equality and anti-discrimination agency and the national mechanism for the prevention of torture, which detail the most significant interventions carried out by the office in the areas of equality, combatting discrimination and the protection of individuals deprived of their liberty.

Stylianou-Lottides stressed that the institution of the commissioner has evolved into a “multifaceted, independent human rights protection body” which, in addition to Lottides’ role as ombudswoman, now exercises seven distinct specialised powers derived from national, European, and international law.

At the same time, she referenced the new mandate that the institution will assume as an independent fundamental rights mechanism within the framework of the new European pact on migration and asylum, which is set to independently monitor respect for fundamental rights during the implementation of control procedures at the EU’s external borders.

The commissioner said that the Republic’s and the EU’s assignment of new responsibilities constitutes recognition of the institution’s credibility, independence and effectiveness, however adding that to fulfill its expanding mandate, the institution required to be strengthened with additional personnel and resources.