Armenia’s National Assembly saw its third altercation in two days on Wednesday, after a member of an opposition party who criticised the government was severely beaten on the floor of the chamber by pro-government lawmakers. The video of the fight in parliament of Armenia has gone viral on social media.
Armenia’s parliament descended into a mass brawl on Wednesday, as the country remains divided following last year’s defeat in the war for control of Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijan.
During Wednesday’s fight in the National Assembly (NA), opposition “Armenia” Faction MPs Gegham Nazaryan and Ishkhan Saghatelyan were hurt. Another politician from the aforementioned faction, Agnesa Khamoyan, confirmed this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had faced domestic backlash over a peace treaty with Azerbaijan that saw Armenia cede vast swaths of territory it had ruled for decades.
Members of the opposition began throwing bottles of water at a speaker from Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party during a parliament session on Wednesday. Since then, water bottles and hand sanitizers have been removed from the chamber.
The incident sparked a brawl, prompting the parliament’s speaker to halt the session and summon security.
Security removed several members of parliament, and one politician was taken to the hospital with an eye injury.
Armenia has been in a political crisis since its defeat in last autumn’s war over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, which claimed around 6,500 lives.
The fighting came to an end with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that saw Baku seize control of parts of Karabakh and surrounding districts that had been under the control of Armenian forces since 1994.
VIDEOS OF ARMENIA PARLIAMENT FIGHT
