WATCH: Violent brawl erupts in Armenian parliament during session as govt cracks down on political opponents
Lawmaker Artur Sargsyan, who represents opposition bloc Armenia, finished a speech wherein he alleged that a case had been decided against him 'ahead of time' and he tried to leave the chamber after his speech completion. It was then that other lawmakers tried to block him and security guards rushed in to intervene, Associated Press reported quoting videos from news outlets.
Chaos erupts in Armenian Parliament as MPs brawl over stripping opposition MP Artur Sargsyan's immunity. Sargsyan is accused of plotting terrorism and power seizure with the 'Sacred Struggle' movement, led by arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. pic.twitter.com/B72KXBDxui
— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) July 8, 2025
Lawmaker Sargsyan, in his speech in the National Assembly, stated 'Armenia had become a bastion of dictatorship where everything is decided in advance, written down, approved.'
Taking action against Sargsyan, the lawmakers in the National Assembly voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity, which opened him up to prosecution. Sargsyan appeared before Armenia's Investigative Committee which has accused him and 15 others of plotting to overthrow the incumbent government.
Meanwhile, Armenia's Prime Minister Pashinyan has been cracking down on the political opponents which he said are trying to plot a political coup against his dispensation.
Since Pashinyan agreed to territorial concessions with neighboring Azerbaijan to bring a pause in the country's decades-long battle for control of disputed regions, several opposition members, including the influential Armenian Apostolic Church, have been leading demonstrations against the government demanding Pashinyan's resignation.
A report by Associated Press stated that senior church leaders Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan are in pre-trial detention after being accused of taking part in the alleged plot to overthrow the government.
(with inputs from Associated Press)
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