A Georgian cameraman, the victim of a beating on the sidelines of the failed LGBT “Pride” march last Monday, died at his home from the consequences of the blows received mainly to the face and head. This was announced by the TV network for which he worked, Pirveli.
The man, Alexander Lashkarava, 37, was among the fifty journalists affected by the violence of homophobic militants on the day when an LGBT march was first organized and then canceled precisely because of the dangers linked to the safety of the participants in the streets of the capital of the Georgia, Tbilisi. The Reporters sans Frontiéres organization denounced the attacks on journalists and accused the authorities of “passive responsibility” for not having protected them.
The Georgian Ministry of the Interior has assured that an investigation has been opened on Lashkarava’s death. A demonstration was called this afternoon to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, accused of fomenting a campaign against journalists. The head of the editorial office of Pirveli, the channel for which the killed cameraman worked, specifically accused the government of not merely encouraging violence, but of participating directly, organizing “violent groups that attack independent media,” said Nodar Meladze. .