Two lawmakers have been sentenced by a Senegalese court to six months in prison for assaulting a pregnant colleague on December 1 during a heated parliamentary session that devolved into a full-fledged brawl.
Amadou Niang and Massata Samb of the opposition Party for Unity and Rally (PUR) were also ordered by the Dakar court to pay the victim, Amy Ndiaye Gniby of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition a total of 5 million CFA francs ($8,144) in compensation.
In a chaotic televised scene that shocked Senegal, Samb slapped Gniby in the face during a budget debate in the National Assembly after she scoffed at his remarks in criticism of her.
Gniby responded by throwing a chair at Samb and was then pushed to the ground by other lawmakers and kicked in the abdomen by Niang.
The conflict has exacerbated political tensions in Senegal, which erupted after the ruling party lost its comfortable majority in a legislative election in July.
The defeat was widely interpreted as a rebuke to President Macky Sall, who is unsure whether he will run for a third term in 2024, which the opposition claims would violate term limits and an earlier promise.
Source: France24 news
