The Agaranis Mamuli hotel has published a statement regarding the July 18 incident during a wedding event in Telavi. The administration stated that it is aware of the public outcry surrounding the incident and emphasized its unwavering stance regarding the occupation of part of Georgia’s territory by the Russian Federation.
The statement notes that any manifestation of disrespect toward the Georgian state, its sovereignty, and national dignity is unacceptable for the hotel, and emphasizes that on the day of the incident, the wedding event occupied approximately one-third of the hotel complex. At the same time, the hotel was almost fully booked, and the other guests knew in advance that a wedding was taking place on the premises.
The administration provides the following timeline of events:
- at around 20:16, a verbal altercation began between the wedding guests and other hotel guests;
- according to CCTV footage, the wedding guests were looking toward the upper floors of the hotel and pointing at something;
- prior to the conflict, a liquid was poured onto the music equipment;
- immediately after the conflict broke out, hotel staff and security tried to prevent its escalation;
- at 20:20, staff members went up to the room of the guests involved in the conflict and tried to resolve the situation until 20:26;
- then, security informed the wedding guests that the administration planned to move these guests to another room to eliminate any contact between the parties;
- from 20:30 to 20:37, staff searched for an alternative room and also contacted the guide accompanying the guests, asking them to come to the hotel—the option of relocating the guests to another hotel was being considered;
- security staff were instructed to prevent direct contact between the wedding guests and other residents;
- at 20:39, the administration called 112 to summon the police: the hotel emphasized that law enforcement was called before the physical fight began;
- at 20:40, one of the wedding guests went up to the upper floor in the elevator. A hotel employee immediately followed him, but by 20:42, a physical altercation had already occurred;
- after the fight broke out, the administration called an ambulance;
- at 20:55, the guide accompanying the guests and a patrol police crew arrived at the hotel;
- at 21:09, an emergency medical team arrived.
Agaranis Mamuli stated that they used all available means to avoid the conflict and de-escalate it. Several hotel security officers tried to prevent contact between the parties and avert a physical altercation.
The statement from Agaranis Mamuli also says that they are cooperating with the investigation and that CCTV footage and other necessary information have already been handed over to law enforcement.
The hotel administration acknowledged that despite the measures taken, they failed to prevent the incident, and stated that they accept their share of responsibility for what happened.
As a reminder, Giorgi Chigladze was detained following the incident at a hotel in Telavi. A criminal case has been opened against him under Article 120 of the Criminal Code of Georgia—intentional infliction of minor bodily harm. The maximum penalty under this article is up to three years in prison.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), during the wedding, foreign citizens staying at the hotel insulted the wedding guests from their room’s balcony and poured water on the music equipment. Following this, the accused inflicted physical injuries on a foreign female citizen. The victim was taken to a clinic for medical assistance.
It is also noted that administrative proceedings have been initiated against singer Aleksandre Mrelashvili. The MIA claims that he was summoned to the police station as a witness in the wedding incident case. During questioning, he refused to remain at the station for an extended period, after which, according to the agency, he insulted police officers and damaged a storage locker.
