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Rihanna's Father Speaks to PEOPLE

By Siobhan Morrissey

02/14/2009 at 05:30 PM EST

In an interview with PEOPLE, Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, said that when he first heard that his daughter had been attacked by Chris Brown, "I didn't believe it.

"I know my daughter," said Fenty, 55. As for Brown, he said, "You think you know somebody, but you really don't."

Brown, 19, allegedly attacked Rihanna, 20, in Los Angeles last Sunday. He was arrested and may face charges from the district attorney.

Describing Rihanna's current condition after seeing her on Thursday, Fenty said, "There is some bruising. She will be all right. I think so."

He adds, "At some point, she will speak out. I hope she will stand up for women all over the world."

Fenty, a salesman and freelance clothing designer, said Rihanna is spending time with girlfriends while she heals. While Fenty said he wouldn't tell his daughter what to do, he did say, "If it were me, I'd move on."

The last time Fenty had seen Rihanna and Brown together was in July. "They seemed pretty happy," he recalls. "I don't know what went wrong."

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