KABUL, May 21: Afghanistan's parliament on Monday kicked out one of the country's most high-profile woman MPs after she was shown on television saying her fellow legislators were “worse than donkeys and cows.” The lower house of parliament voted by a large majority to suspend outspoken Malalai Joya until the end of its term in 2010 because they said she had insulted them, a parliamentary secretariat spokesman said.

The house also said it would refer the comments to court, Haseeb Noori said.

Joya, who took the second most ballots for the western province of Farah in the 2005 election, was absent during the session in which the controversial clip was played three times.

Joya, in her late 20s, has been unflinching in her criticism of commanders of the resistance to the Soviet occupation of the 1980s who are accused of human rights abuses in a civil war that followed the defeat of the Red Army.

The Tolo television journalist who conducted the interview said Joya had said parliament was worse than a stable because in a stable at least “you have cows which provide milk and you have got donkeys which can carry loads.” “They are worse than cows and donkeys — they're dragons,” she added.

Fellow woman MP Shukria Barakzai said the suspension was voted on after a complaint from the upper house of parliament.

—AFP