All perpetrators and those behind the violent attacks against Tbilisi Pride’s office, civic activists and journalists must be identified and brought to justice. The death of Lekso Lashkarava needs immediate and thorough investigation.
After Tbilis’ first Pride in 2019 and the break in 2020 because of the pandemic,LGBT+ people in Georgia were looking forward to Tbilisi Pride in 2021. But on July 5 we were forced to cancel our “March for Dignity” after a homophobic mob stormed our office, the one of the Shame movement, and unleashed terrifying violence across the city. A Polish tourist was stabbed, apparently because he was wearing an earring.
Activists and journalists reporting on the events were violently attacked. More than 50 people were injured. Among them was Lekso Lashkarava, a cameraman of Georgian TV channel TV PIRVELI who died 6 days after the brutal attack.
This was a gross violation of the fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Worse than that, it was an actual pogrom against the LGBT+ community in Georgia that Georgian authorities did not prevent from happening.
Before these events, the Orthodox Church and various representatives of the Georgian Government had even fuelled an escalation in violence, while many of us had received several death threats.
Sign the petition and demand justice for Lekso Lashkarava and Tbilisi Pride.
