Two opposition MPs in Senegal have been sentenced to six months in prison for kicking pregnant colleague Amy Ndiaye in the stomach during a budget debate.
The judge also ordered Mamadou Niang and Massati Samba to pay MP Ndiaye five million CFA francs (US$8,100) in damages.
Lawmakers attacked Ndiaye after she criticized an opposition religious figure, and the incident on December 1 sparked a debate about women’s rights.
In a video that has gone viral, Samb is seen walking up to Ndiaye and slapping him during the budget debate.
Ndiaye retaliates by throwing a chair, but is simultaneously kicked in the stomach by another male colleague. A ruckus then breaks out as other MPs try to calm the situation down.
Ndiaye, who is a member of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition, fainted in parliament after the attack and feared she had lost the baby.
Her lawyer Baboucar Cissé said she is “still in an extremely difficult situation”, despite being released from hospital.
Although there is a recording, lawyers for Niang and Sambo claimed in court that their clients did not physically assault their colleague.