MP Taguhi Tovmasyan of the opposition Pativ Unem (With Honor) faction has denounced Thursday’s “disgraceful” incident in which security officers forcibly removed a group of lawmakers from the parliament.
The incident happened after Tovmasyan refused to leave the parliament rostrum after finishing her speech in protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s latest statements on Artsakh.
She accused the premier of “spreading lies and casting doubt on Artsakh’s Armenian identity.” Nearly a dozen other opposition MPs joined the protest. Speaker Alen Simonyan announced a break and ordered security guards to force the deputies out of the parliament podium, prompting a scuffle.
“Yesterday’s incident in the National Assembly was a total disgrace,” Tovmasyan told a news conference hosted by the RPA office on Friday.
She claimed the speaker’s order was unlawful and its executors “had no right to obstruct the MPs’ activities”.
“They are supposed to neutralize a threat, whereas we were just standing there and were not threatening anyone’s security. This is a blatant violation which must have consequences," Tovmasyan stressed, adding she has asked law-enforcement authorities to hold the offenders to account.
The MP warned Pashinyan against “telling more lies” to the people from the parliament podium.
"If Nikol Pashinyan continues to spread lies, he will receive an adequate response. From now on, we will not allow him to tell lies from the National Assembly rostrum,” she said.