Representatives of Georgian media outlets protested over the death of Lekso Lashkarava, a TV Pirveli cameraman, ahead of the Interagency Coordination Council’s briefing at the governmental administration.

Journalists demanded the punishment for all participants of the July 5 mass violence against media. Formula TV journalist called for the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

TV Pirveli cameraman Lekso Lashkarava died on July 11. He and 52 other journalists were assaulted when covering the far-right activists protesting against holding the LGBTQ + community-planned Pride Week march in Tbilisi.

The injured cameraman underwent emergency surgery on July 5 for facial fractures and a concussion. The Ministry of Internal Affairs published an interim toxicology report suggesting his death allegedly might be caused by narcotics overdose.

Hundreds of protesters who demand the government’s resignation over Lashkarava’s death at the Parliament building for few days marched to the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) HQ to decry MIA’s recent statement. The public outcry triggered by the violent attacks on media by the far-right mob on July 5-6. Fifty-three journalists were targeted in the violence, prompting backlash from the opposition, the international community, and society.