Armenian parliament deputies fought during the discussion of the church crisis.
In the Armenian parliament, during the discussion of a bill to create an investigative commission regarding the crisis surrounding the Armenian Apostolic Church, a mass brawl occurred today between deputies from the ruling party "Civil Contract" and the opposition bloc "Strong Armenia."
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the confrontation between the authorities of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been ongoing since 2025. On September 4, the third judge refused to consider the criminal case against the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II and six bishops, after which the issue of jurisdiction was transferred to the Court of Cassation. Earlier, human rights defenders called the prosecution of Garegin II a violation of the Constitution of Armenia, the principles of separation of powers, and freedom of religion.
Today, a mass brawl occurred in the National Assembly of Armenia. The conflict began in the meeting hall and then continued in the parliament corridor, noted Panorama.am.
The brawl was preceded by a verbal altercation between pro-government and opposition deputies. It started after the speech of the deputy from the "Strong Armenia" bloc, Edgar Kazaryan. He accused the presiding officer Ruben Rubinyan of embezzling state funds and urged deputies from the ruling party not to spend the bonuses they received. Rubinyan demanded to speak on agenda items and turned off Kazaryan's microphone, after which the conflict between the deputies escalated into a fight, reported News.am.
The publication released a video of the brawl. The footage shows that several deputies intervened in the conflict. After the fight began, Rubinyan announced a break, and security service personnel entered the hall.
The agenda included a project to determine the number of the investigative commission, which is supposed to study the crisis surrounding the Armenian Apostolic Church, the activities of several clergy, and the church's role in the spiritual and cultural life of the country. Opposition representatives called the initiative unconstitutional.
Later, another verbal altercation occurred between deputies of the ruling party and the opposition. Deputy from the "Civil Contract" Taron Chakhoyan, during his speech, referred to the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II by his secular name Ktrich Nersisyan, which caused outrage among the opposition members. They began to bang on the tables and shout remarks from their seats, and one of the deputies from the "Strong Armenia" bloc repeatedly called Chakhoyan "garbage."
Recall that in January, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced plans to reform the church, which include the removal of Garegin II, the adoption of a new charter, and the election of a new Catholicos. In February, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia initiated criminal prosecution against the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II for obstructing the execution of a court act related to the defrocked Archbishop Gevorg Saroyan. The Catholicos is banned from leaving the country.