Two opposition MPs in Senegal have been sentenced to six months in prison for kicking a pregnant colleague during a budget debate.
A male MP attacked Amy Ndiaye after she criticized opposition religious figures.
The judge also ordered Mamadou Niang and Massata Samb to pay Ms Ndiaye five million CFA francs ($8,100; £6,750) in damages.
The incident was condemned and sparked a debate about women’s rights.
In a video shared online, Mr. Samb is seen walking up to Ndiaye and slapping him during a routine budget debate on December 1. He then retaliated by throwing a chair, but at the same time was kicked in the stomach by another male friend. A commotion then broke out as other MPs tried to calm the situation.
Ms Ndiaye, a member of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition, collapsed in parliament after the attack and there were fears she would lose the baby.
Despite being released from hospital, he “remains in a very difficult situation,” his lawyer Baboucar Cissé told the AFP news agency.
Despite the video evidence, lawyers for Mr. Niang and Mr. Samb argued in court that their clients did not physically attack Ms. Ndiaye.
He also argued unsuccessfully that the two MPs should not be prosecuted.
“He will remain in prison pending an appeal,” one of his lawyers, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, told AFP.
There has been tension in Senegal’s parliament since the government lost its majority in legislative elections in July last year.
Source: BBC
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