Georgian Opposition Protests In Parliament Over Dead Journalist

An extraordinary session of the Georgian parliament on July 18 in Tbilisi, where Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri was scheduled to address the July 5 violent attacks in the Georgian capital, was interrupted by a number of opposition deputies. They surrounded the tribune, holding photographs of Pirveli television cameraman Lekso Lashkarava, who died several days after he was severely beaten on July 5 by an anti-LGBT mob that had taken to the streets of the capital to block a planned LGBT parade, and demanded the resignation of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his government. Journalists in parliament also held photographs of Lashkarava and hung out a banner reading "Punish The Offenders."