Opposition MP hits out at Armenian speaker's remarks

Opposition MP Hayk Mamijanyan has strongly criticized Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan’s recent remarks, saying no senior official should "spit at people”.

"I don’t know of any high-ranking official in another country who has spat on someone for any reason. Losing your temper has its limits," Mamijanyan said on Tuesday, responding to Simonyan’s claim that officials often get frustrated.

He was referring to an incident in central Yerevan in April 2023, when Simonyan spat on an opposition activist who branded him a “traitor”.

Mamijanyan, who represents the Pativ Unem faction, also addressed the speaker’s skeptical question about which European body had recognized RPA Deputy Chairman Armen Ashotyan as a political prisoner.

"The European People’s Party, the largest political group in the European Parliament, has formally recognized Armen Ashotyan as a political prisoner in a resolution, citing political motives behind his prosecution," the MP said, adding that other international organizations echoed this view.