The fight between government and opposition deputies in the National Assembly of Armenia has become the subject of criminal proceedings. The General Prosecutor’s Office announced on November 9 that proceedings were initiated under two articles of the Criminal Code in connection with the October 29 incident.

“The proceedings were initiated by Article 297, Part 2, Clause 1 of the Criminal Code – hooliganism committed by a group of people,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Criminal proceedings have also been initiated under Article 452, Part 3, which refers to the use of violence against an official or his relative in order to interfere with the latter’s legitimate official or political activities.

On October 29, during the session of the National Assembly, the dispute between the ruling “Civil Agreement” party and the representatives of the opposition turned into a physical clash. The MPs exchanged blows with each other in the meeting hall, and the incident continued in the corridor of the Parliament.

At the beginning, the Speaker of the National Assembly tried to calm down the situation without announcing a break and urged the deputies to return to their seats. However, ten minutes later, when the tension had not subsided, the meeting was adjourned.

The public prosecutor’s office did not specify in the published message which specific persons’ actions are the subject of investigation within the framework of the criminal proceedings.