A brawl broke out between opposition lawmakers and members of Armenia’s ruling party in the National Assembly on Oct 29, after a heated exchange involving corruption allegations and personal accusations. The confrontation escalated into a physical fight, leaving opposition lawmaker Andranik Gevorgyan with a bleeding nose and prompting an ambulance to be called to the parliament building.
The incident Allegedly began during a speech by Taron Chakhoyan, a lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract faction, as tensions rose over accusations of corruption directed at political figures. Chakhoyan responded by accusing opposition figures of having their own history of corruption.
“People steeped in corruption talk about corruption, about fakes,” Chakhoyan said, naming Ishkhan Zakaryan and Gagik Khachatryan and referring to associates of former President Robert Kocharyan.
He then addressed Mesrop Manukyan of the opposition Armenia faction, saying: “Whoever talks about corruption, you were the assistant of Manvel the canned meat thief, do you understand?”
The remark referred to former general and lawmaker Manvel Grigoryan, who was arrested in 2018 after military supplies and other items intended for soldiers were reportedly found at properties linked to him. The allegations against the former official became a major public controversy in Armenia.
Remarks About Narek Karapetyan Trigger Heated Exchange
Chakhoyan also targeted Narek Karapetyan, the leader of the opposition Strong Armenia faction and the nephew of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who has been arrested.
Chakhoyan criticised Karapetyan’s family involvement in politics and referred to a controversy surrounding a proposal by one of his relatives to establish a ministry focused on women’s issues. Karapetyan responded from his seat, triggering a heated verbal exchange between the two lawmakers.
The confrontation soon spread as opposition lawmakers stood up and moved towards the podium. Pushing and shoving escalated into punches, with other legislators joining the fight. Reports and footage from the chamber also indicated that a chair was thrown during the altercation.
Speaker Refuses to Call Recess as Fight Escalates
As the confrontation developed, National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan initially refused to suspend proceedings, saying he wanted everyone to see what was happening.
“I will not interrupt the session specifically so that everyone can see all this,” Rubinyan said, according to reports. He told lawmakers that the session would continue and urged them to decide whether they would fight or return to order.
The confrontation continued for several minutes before Rubinyan eventually called a recess and summoned parliamentary security personnel into the chamber. By then, several lawmakers had reportedly been involved in the physical altercation, not just hands but also chairs and bottles.
Andranik Gevorgyan was seen with a bleeding nose, while the clothes of opposition lawmaker Ruben Mkhitaryan were reportedly torn. An ambulance arrived at the parliament building, although a subsequent statement from the emergency medical service said the request had been cancelled before its crew provided medical assistance.
Opposition Accuses Speaker of Bias
Opposition lawmakers have criticised the Speaker’s handling of the incident, arguing that the confrontation could have been contained earlier had a recess been called and security personnel summoned promptly.
The Strong Armenia faction’s secretary, Tigran Abrahamyan, described the incident as a planned provocation and questioned the conduct of parliamentary officials, including Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan, who was reported to have thrown a chair towards opposition lawmakers.
Rubinyan, however, rejected the opposition’s accusations and blamed Karapetyan for provoking the confrontation. After reviewing footage of the incident, he said Chakhoyan had not used offensive language and accused Karapetyan of interrupting the speech, shouting insults and attempting to strike Chakhoyan. Rubinyan also said opposition MP Garnik Davtyan delivered the first blow to Chakhoyan. These remain competing accounts of responsibility presented by the political sides.
The latest incident comes amid repeated confrontations between government and opposition lawmakers in the chamber and its corridors. It has renewed scrutiny of how parliamentary proceedings are managed, how lawmakers are held accountable for their conduct and whether the rules are being applied impartially.
With both sides blaming one another for the violence, the dispute has extended beyond the original corruption allegations to the conduct of the Speaker and the responsibility of elected representatives to maintain order inside the legislature.
The fight had also continued in the corridor well past the session was dismissed.
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