Regnum, Russia
March 10 2006

Georgian Interior ministry: events in Tsalka are a common bar fight

Deputy Head of the Georgian criminal police department Irakli
Pirtskhalava told a REGNUM correspondent that events in Tsalka have
nothing to do with ethnic conflict, as earlier informed Russian and
Armenian mass media can be regarded as attempts of ethnic discord
kindling.

According to investigation information, it was a common bar fight
between drunken people, that started with usual nonsense and caused
knife-fight, resulting in one dead and several wounded, informed
Pirtskhilava. He said that this is a usual criminal case, and added,
that wife of one of the arrested Georgians is Armenian. He also said
that if it was an ethnic conflict, results would be much serious.

Speaking about protests in Tsalka, Pirtskhalava said that about 150
persons participated in it. They demanded that police give the
arrested to lynch them. Several people started to throw stones in the
building of the local administration, because they could not meet the
head of the administration. It caused police to disperse the crowd.
According to Pirtskhalava, there was no serious clash between police
and protesters. He also said that this case is currently
investigated.

As REGNUM already informed, on March 9, at about 06:00 p.m. local
time, in the city of Tsalka (regional center of Kvemo-Kartli Region,
Georgia) near a restaurant 24-year-old Gevork Gevorkyan was killed
and 25-year-old Karen Baloyan wounded as a result of a clash between
two groups of people. The Georgian police arrested 5 suspects in
murder, the investigation continues.