Court Sentenced Attacker Suspect on New Rights Office with Preliminary Detention

(Tbilisi February 6, 2003. Civil Georgia) – The court sentenced Valeri Kvachantiradze, which is suspected in participating in the attack on the Tbilisi headquarters of the opposition New Rightists party, to three months of preliminary detention today.

Up to 20 armed men violently attacked the New Rights office on February 3, which caused protest of all the leading opposition parties. Opposition accused authorities in organizing the raid against the party aiming at terrorizing opposition.

Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili dismissed the accusations and said on February 5 that the according to the preliminary information government has nothing common with the attack.

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi issued a statement condemning the violence and urging the Georgian authorities to identify the perpetrators and bring them to trial.

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