Defense Minister: New Rights Behind Civil Society’s Attack

Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said on April 5 that the opposition New Rights party is behind the leaders of the civil society organizations, who launched “mass attack” against the Defense Ministry.

On April 4 Davit Darchiashvili, who chairs the “Open Society – Georgia” Foundation, Tina Khidasheli, of the influential human rights advocacy NGO Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and Paata Zakareishvili, political analyst, convened a press conference and severely criticized the Defense Ministry’s leadership for violating the rights of the country’s servicemen.

“These persons and the New Rights held a meeting recently, where they agreed to launch a mass attack against the Defense Ministry,” Irakli Okruashvili said, adding that “such an approach will only destroy fighting spirit in the army.”