Journalists take podium at briefing of deputy health minister, pay tribute to memory of cameraman Lashkarava with minute of silence

Journalists and cameramen who were attending the press-briefing of Deputy Health Minister Gabuania all stood together at the podium and held photos of Lashkarava in their hands. Screenshot from live video.

Agenda.ge, 13 Jul 2021 - 12:33, Tbilisi,Georgia

Journalists and cameramen took the podium today during a briefing of Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia, and held a minute of silence in protest of the death of TV Pirveli cameraman Lekso Lashkarava.

Lashkarava, 36, was one of those attacked during the siege on the offices of the Shame Movement on July 5. He received a concussion, facial bone fractures and multiple bruises, and was found dead at home on July 11 morning by his family. The funeral of Lashkarava will take place today.

Deputy Health Minister Gabunia was going to introduce the latest decisions of today's Interagency Council Meeting before the incident took place. 

Journalists and cameramen who were attending the press-briefing of Gabuania all stood together at the podium and held photos of Lashkarava in their hands.

Today is the funeral of Lashkarava and no one has a moral right to stand here today", they told Gabunia.

After a minute of silence the press-briefing continued.

On the same day of the death of Laskharava, journalists, civil activists and politicians gathered in front of the parliament building to pay tribute to Lashkarava and demand Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s resignation. 

The protest continued yesterday as well. 

After the interior ministry provided more details to support its claim that Lashkarava died due to a drug overdose, protesters who were gathered at the parliament building went on to rally at the headquarters of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Some threw eggs and painted the walls of the headquarters with red paint. Twelve people were arrested.

PM Garibashvili said the ongoing protest in Tbilisi following the TV Pirveli cameraman’s death is 'classic anti-state, anti-church and anti-national'.