Mass Brawl Erupts in Armenian Parliament as Lawmakers Trade Blows
A mass brawl erupted in the Armenian parliament between ruling party and opposition lawmakers, resulting in physical clashes, injuries, and a chair being thrown by the deputy speaker.
A mass brawl broke out in the Armenian parliament on Thursday between lawmakers from the ruling Civil Contract party and the opposition Armenia Alliance faction. The confrontation involved physical blows, with the deputy speaker of parliament throwing a chair at opposition members, prompting an ambulance to be dispatched to the building.
The altercation erupted during a debate over appointing a member to the state audit body, when ruling party lawmaker Taron Chakhoyan criticized the family of Narek Karapetyan, head of the Armenia Alliance faction. According to local media reports, Chakhoyan referenced the political involvement of Karapetyan's relatives and accused the family of failing to apologize for controversial remarks made by a cousin.
Karapetyan shouted from his seat, leading opposition deputies to approach the podium as the argument escalated into shoving and fistfights. Parliamentary Speaker Ruben Rubinyan initially refused to halt the session, stating he wanted the public to witness the events, before finally declaring a recess and summoning security guards to the chamber.
During the melee, opposition deputy Andranik Tevanyan suffered a bleeding nose, and colleague Ruben Mkhitaryan had his clothes torn. Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan, a member of the ruling party, threw a chair toward the opposition lawmakers.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan condemned the violence while defending the actions of his party members and placing the blame on the opposition. When asked about the thrown chair during a briefing with journalists, Pashinyan stated that the response was proportionate and correct.
