Erosi Kitsmarishvili ( ka, ეროსი კიწმარიშვილი, 1964 – 15 July 2014) was a Georgian media executive and served as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of Georgia to the Russian Federation from April to July 2008. Appointed in April 2008, Kitsmarishvili was recalled on 11 July after Russia confirmed it had conducted military flights over South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia that would be occupied by Russia after the August 2008 War between the two states. Prior to accepting the ambassadorial post, Kitsmarishvili owned the Rustavi 2 television broadcasting company, which played a key role during the Rose Revolution of 2003. Since his dismissal in mid-September 2008 by Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, he publicly criticized Saakashvili's handling of the August 2008 war with Russia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

— claiming that although Russia had provoked the conflict, the actual fighting had been started by Georgia, and that the United States had approved the Georgian government's plans to retake Abkhazia in early 2008. Kitsmarishvili has also spoken out in favour of increased pluralism in the Georgian media. In November 2009, Kitsmarishvili took over the management rights of the Tbilisi-based pro-opposition television station Maestro TV. Kitsmarishvili ran for the office of mayor of Rustavi in the

2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014. * 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014 Africa * 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014 * 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014 * 2014 Comorian presi ...

, but was defeated. In July 2014 Kitsmarishvili was found dead in a garage of the apartment block where he had lived in Tbilisi's Vake district. The authorities said he had one gunshot wound to the head, and though they were investigating the death under article 115 of the criminal code, which deals with suicide, but would examine other causes of his death as well.

References

Diplomats of Georgia (country) 1964 births 2014 deaths Ambassadors of Georgia (country) to Russia Deaths by firearm in Georgia (country) {{Georgia-politician-stub

See also

References