James Appathurai: The death of Georgian journalist Alexander Lashkarava, after having been beaten by a mob earlier this week, is deeply disturbing for all friends of Georgia - including me

NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai responds to the death of Lekso Lashkarava.

As Appathurai writes, the death of the cameraman, after having been beaten by a mob, is deeply disturbing.

"The death of Georgian journalist Alexander Lashkarava, after having been beaten by a mob earlier this week, is deeply disturbing for all friends of Georgia — including me. In a democracy, minorities are protected; the media is protected; free speech is protected. These are euro-Atlantic values. No institution or organisation is exempt from that responsibility", - wrote Appathurai.