No criminal proceedings have yet been initiated in connection with the physical altercation that occurred in the National Assembly, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Sputnik Armenia reports.
During a parliamentary session, Civil Contract lawmaker Taron Chakhoyan referred to Mesrop Manukyan, a member of the Armenia faction, as “the assistant of Manvel who stole canned meat.” He then made remarks about family members of Narek Karapetyan, head of the Strong Armenia faction, further escalating tensions in the chamber. The ensuing argument developed into a physical confrontation.
In response to an inquiry about the incident, the Prosecutor General’s Office provided the following clarification to the news outlet: “There is no information about any criminal proceedings initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the physical assault in the National Assembly.”
Arthur Sukoyan, an aide to National Assembly member Levon Kocharyan, announced on his Facebook page that he had been barred from entering the National Assembly following an incident with Civil Contract lawmaker Vahagn Aleksanyan in the parliament cafeteria. He said he learned of the restriction on the morning of October 29.
“This morning, I learned that my access to the National Assembly had been blocked because of yesterday’s ‘incident’ with Vahagn Aleksanyan in the parliamentary cafeteria.
In reality, nothing extraordinary happened. I simply put Vahagn in his place, after which he preferred to surround himself with women before attempting to respond to me in any way. In the end, he called the speaker of the National Assembly to complain and demand that my access be blocked.
Incidentally, I am very pleased that holding office has not changed one thing about Vahagn: whenever he sees me, he still gets just as flustered as he did in his younger years when he encountered me in our neighborhood,” Sukoyan wrote.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the incident in the National Assembly following a government meeting. He said that, in the context of the parliamentary brawl, he supported the Civil Contract faction and welcomed its actions.
