Parliament had summoned government minister Eduardo del Castillo to report on the imprisonment of Luis Fernando Camacho, a conservative governor of the Santa Croce region and a leading opposition figure, in December.
While defending the legality of the arrest, del Castillo criticized parliamentarians from Cremos, Camacho’s party, saying they were “extremist and violent groups who came to steal the portfolios of the Bolivian people”.
As he spoke, opposition lawmakers held banners with phrases such as “With political prisoners there is no democracy” and photos of Del Castillo with the caption “Minister of Terrorism.”
When several pro-government lawmakers tried to grab the banners, a fight broke out between about 20 MPs, during which they traded punches for minutes, according to photos posted on social media.
The fight ended with no serious injury to either side.
The submission of the report was briefly suspended because the deputy for Cremos, Maria Rene Alvarez del Castillo, was accused of promoting a hostile climate.
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