Top Armenian lawmaker sorry for spitting at man who called him ‘traitor’


April 8 2023

Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan apologised for spitting on a pedestrian this week, as the media flurry around the incident continued on Friday.

“I’m sorry, I lost my self-control because of an insult directed at me,” the 43-year-old wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

The incident continued to spark heavy discussion across Armenian media outlets on Friday. Former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan was one of many demanding Simonyan’s resignation.

The incident occurred earlier this week, when a member of the public supposedly called the politician a traitor on the street. The politician ordered his bodyguards to hold on to the man and Simonyan proceeded to spit in his face, the man said later.

Simonyan himself did not deny the act, but initially said about the incident: “Get it into your head that your impudence will not go unanswered, an insult directed at the legitimate authorities of the state will receive a legitimate response.”

After the affair went public, the head of the National Assembly and leading member of the ruling party Civil Contract came under considerable pressure.

The country’s government is already considered weakened after losing the war with neighbouring Azerbaijan over the embattled region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. The conflict plunged the country into a deep crisis.

Many citizens consider the ceasefire agreement that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed, which resulted in Armenia having to give up large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, a betrayal.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS