Budget Debate In The Senegal Parliament Becomes Ricuh, Two Politicians Sentenced To Prison AfterACKing Middlely Pregnant Political Opponents

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Joe Gratz)

JAKARTA - A court in Senegal sentenced two male lawmakers to six months in prison, after assaulting a pregnant political opponent in a parliamentary session on December 1.

In a chaotic television scene that shocked Senegal, Massata Samb slapped Amy Ndiaye Gniby in the face during a budget debate at the National Assembly after she ridiculed her criticizing statement, reported by Al Jazeera on January 3.

Gniby responded by throwing a chair at Samb and then pushed to the ground by other lawmakers, then his stomach was kicked by Amadou Niang.

In Monday's decision, the Dakar court also ordered Niang and Samb from the opposition for Unity and Reli (PUR), to pay US$8,144 (Rp126 million) in compensation to Gniby from the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition.

The clash between lawmakers exacerbated political tensions in Senegal, which raged when the ruling party lost its majority in the July legislative election.

The defeat was widely seen as a rebuke to President Macky Sall, amid uncertainty over whether he would run for a third term in 2024, a move that the opposition said would violate the limits of his term of office and previous promises.