Georgy Chigladze has been urged to apologize for the attack on a Russian-speaking tourist.

Lawyers may have refused to defend Georgy Chigladze, as the broad support of the Georgian public prevented him from perceiving himself as a defendant and following the recommendations of his defenders, social media users suggested. Commentators urged Chigladze to apologize to the tourists for the incident at the hotel in Telavi.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 10, Georgy Chigladze's lawyers Lasha Kapanadze and Mariam Durglishvili refused to defend him, stating that the defendant does not follow the instructions necessary for the defense strategy. Chigladze is accused in a case of attacking a Russian-speaking tourist at a hotel in Georgia during a wedding; after his detention, he was released.

Commentators pointed out the influence of public support

On the "Caucasian Knot" Facebook page*, two posts were published about the lawyers refusing to defend Georgy Chigladze. Both posts collectively received 647 reactions from users and 1545 comments.

Some users suggested that public support for Chigladze might have worked against him and prevented him from following the defense's recommendations. "It seems to me that public support has done a disservice to this man. He cannot get out of the role of a hero and into the role of a defendant. And how can a lawyer work with such a client?" – asked Garnik Kocharyan.

"I think their client hopes for an acquittal, as he expects that all of Georgia will stand up for him – and even come out for support actions. [...] Now everyone around him is telling him that he cannot apologize. He will stop being a hero. So he fell for it," – suggested Tatyana Rahimova.

"He should have gone to the girls to apologize, and of course, compensate financially. But he started fighting through the courts," – wrote Maria Maria.

Some commentators perceived the lawyers' refusal to defend Chigladze as a sign of problems with his chosen position and the future prospects of the case. "The thing is that the lawyer sees from the materials of the criminal case that there is nothing to contest. The lawyer insists that a large compensation should be paid to the victims and public apologies made before the court, but most likely the client does not want to do this," – suggested Alexander Tseeb.

"It's simple. The lawyers realized that the case is a foregone conclusion and they need to somehow preserve their image," – believes Sanych.

"So let's see how it goes, but for some reason, I feel that their former client will ruin himself," – wrote Elena Shatkhin.

Some users advised Chigladze to apologize to the victim and try to resolve the conflict. "Now it is necessary for her to withdraw the statement, and for that, he needs to apologize and pay for the treatment. But his pride does not allow this," – believes Sergey Ivanov.

"Chigladze needs to go out and on camera say that he made a mistake and apologize. Warn others against thoughtless actions. And invite tourists to visit the country. That's it!" – wrote Sergey Dzhumberovich Dzh.

"He should have gone to the girls to apologize, and of course, compensate financially. <...> And let him figure it out now. He will sit, think about it, and about his pride," – pointed out Maria Maria.

The practice of demanding public apologies is known to the residents of Georgia

It should be noted that earlier in Georgia, demands for public apologies were made, although they were not successful. For example, in July 2019, several hundred people gathered outside the "Rustavi 2" television channel building, demanding apologies after the host Georgy Gabuniya made an obscene remark about Vladimir Putin on air. The authorities of Georgia called Gabuniya's words a "provocation".

The television host's statement was also reacted to by Ramzan Kadyrov. He stated that the president and prime minister of Georgia should apologize to Putin and Russia, and also allowed for insults and threats against Gabuniya. "There are millions of young people in the world who deeply respect Vladimir Putin. Gabuniya needs to be hidden behind seven fences, as the first passerby can do to him what he deserves," – Kadyrov said at that time.

Almost a year later, in June 2020, the State Security Service of Georgia reported the detention of a Russian citizen suspected of preparing an assassination attempt. The general director of "Mtavari Arkhi" Nika Gvaramia stated that the target of the assassination was Georgy Gabuniya and linked its preparation to the previously voiced threats from Kadyrov. The head of Chechnya called this version "tales," but stated that Gabuniya remains his enemy and advised the television host to "get on his knees and ask for forgiveness."

Gabuniya himself stated on the air of the "Pirveli" television company that he does not intend to apologize. "My position has not changed; I think exactly the same as before regarding Putin, even worse," – he explained.

"Caucasian Knot" keeps a "Chronicle of Public Apologies in the Caucasus", and news on this topic is collected on the page "Whom the Caucasus Forces to Apologize".