On 13 July, a procession was held in honour of the memory of the TV Pirveli cameraman Lekso Lashkarava (Caucasus Watch reported). During the procession, Lashkarava's body was led through a 'camera corridor' made by cameramen of various media outlets.  

Colleagues, relatives, and other people who came to the procession said goodbye to the deceased cameraman with applause. Employees of the TV Pirveli brought Lashkarava’s work items he had with him during the coverage of the 5 July rally (Caucasus Watch reported) and which were destroyed during the physical violence to his house. Journalists attending Lashkarava’s funeral said that Georgian media demands only one main thing: that all participants and supporters of the violence on 5-6 July be punished. 

Opposition politicians have also joined the demand of the journalists and are even considering starting a “no-confidence motion” in the parliament. A fistfight broke out in the country’s parliament between ruling Georgian Dream and opposition parliamentarians after the members of the media were prevented from entering the building to ask questions to the ruling team on the 5 July rallies. The fights included several opposition leaders including the leader of Strategy Agmashenebeli, Giorgi Vashadze. “Georgian Dream MP Viktor Japaridze got into a physical confrontation [with me], he was swearing, I told him to stop,” Vashadze said. At one point, women MPs Tina Bokuchava, Ana Natsvlishvili, Nato Chkheidze, Ana Tsitlidze and others sat in the tribune of the Speaker of the Parliament and refused to leave. They hung the national flag of Georgia and the EU flag over the podium and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. After that the women deputies were forced to leave the parliament hall. 

In the meantime, Director of the Central Criminal Police Department Mamuka Chelidze said that based on the chemical examination report, drugs were found in the samples taken from the Laskarava’s body. “The samples taken from the body contained drugs, “morphine”, “codeine”, “tetrahydrocannabinol”, “pentin” and “monoacetylmorphine.” “Based on the examination, the cause of death might have been a drug overdose. However, this conclusion is not final,” he stressed. The Interior Ministry (MIA) launched a probe into the case under Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving incitement to suicide.

In response, foreign officials and media organisations demanded an impartial investigation into Lashkarava’s death. In his Twitter post US Congressman Bill Keating says the Georgian government must meet the commitment they have made and conduct a full and transparent investigation into Lashkarava’s death and the violence that took place on July 5. French Ambassador to Georgia Diego Colas noted that during the meeting on 12 July at the Georgian Interior Ministry, foreign diplomats “reaffirmed strong disappointment with the breakdown of constitutional order and massive violations of human rights on 5 July in Tbilisi.” “After the coordinated attack on more than 50 journalists, the suspicious death of Aleksandr Lashkarava marks a disastrous turning point for the freedom to inform in Georgia… Instead of trying to discredit the late cameraman, we demand that the Interior Ministry launch an in-depth, impartial, and transparent investigation of the circumstances of his death and of the attacks suffered by journalists whom the police failed to protect,” stated the head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk Jeanne Cavalier. 

Representatives of the Georgian Patriarchate also responded on the occasion. The head of the Public Relations Department of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) Archpriest Andria Jaghmaidze said that the clerics were shielding and defending the journalists on 5 July. Asked about violence on part of the priests, Jaghmaidze said that only one case was revealed so far and the GOC issued a warning and reprimanded him. “The priest recorded a public video of forgiveness,” Jaghmaidze claimed. The GOC spokesperson underlined that the patriarchate called on citizens for peace several times. “We were warning everybody that such escalation could lead to certain risks,” he claimed. He also claimed that if any assault by a cleric is proved, the Patriarchate would take measures.

On the other hand, the head of the Vani-Baghdadi Diocese, Metropolitan Anthony Bulukhi stated that the journalists deserved to be beaten. “You encourage debauchery, you abusers, you’re propagating – you are responsible for this death. Here the crowd, brainwashed with drugs, calls us abusers. Look at what you write and do regarding the Patriarchate. You are abusers. To protect our truth from your violence, we have to call on the people to help,” he said, referring to the Georgian media.