Zurab Kurtsikidze, a photojournalist of the Georgian Public Broadcaster First Channel, was laid to rest on Saturday. Family members, friends and colleagues bid him farewell.

Zurab Kurtsikidze had been the GPB’s photojournalist for the last 5 years. The archive keeps photos of important events shot by him.

In parallel, Zurab Kurtsikidze worked for the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) covering events both in Georgia and abroad. He shot photos during the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Beslan terrorist act, Maidan Revolution.

Zurab Kurtsikidze was among the photographers, who were detained on July 7, 2011, on spying charges under the motive of spreading photos in international news agencies reflecting the May 26 developments and violent dispersal of the rally. He admitted his guiltiness, in his words, under pressure but had struggled to prove his innocence for many years. The court, finally found them not guilty and ruled to pay compensation by the Prosecutor’s Office for a forged case.

Zurab Kurtsikidze, a photojournalist of the Georgian Public Broadcaster First Channel, passed away on May 31 after spending several days in the hospital’s intensive care unit.