15:01, 8 January 2022

Georgia's MFA treats Lashkarava's inclusion into UNESCO list as unjustified

The UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has included Lekso Lashkarava, a cameraman of the "Pirveli" TV Company, on the list of killed journalists, without having experts' conclusions on the reasons for his death, the Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 7, it became known that the UNESCO had put Lashkarava on the list of murdered journalists, but sent a question to Georgian authorities about the circumstances of his death. The Georgian Bureau of State Expertise has linked his death with the use of narcotic drugs. An independent expert recruited by the family of the deceased has agreed with the Bureau's conclusions.

According to one of the versions put forward by investigators, Lashkarava died as a result of drug use. On July 19, 2021, Georgian law enforcers announced the detention of the man, who had allegedly sold heroin to Lashkarava. The man was charged with illegal acquisition, storage and sale of narcotic drugs at an especially large scale.

In the near future, the conclusion on the causes of Lashkarava's death will be sent to the UNESCO, Mari Narchemashvili, the spokesperson for the Georgia's MFA, said on January 7. "The UNESCO is waiting for the completion of the investigation and [provision of] the final information on this case," the "News-Georgia" outlet has quoted her as saying.

Ms Narchemashvili has explained that after that the information will be updated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 8, 2022 at 02:24 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: The Caucasian Knot