Georgia’s state security service launches investigation amid BBC report
Georgia’s State Security Service has opened an investigation after the BBC reported that special forces used chemical agents to disperse protests in November 2024.
The probe seeks to establish what information the BBC’s interviewees relied on, how credible their claims are, and how relevant their accounts may be.
“For now, we can only establish the following: on the one hand, the published material contains signs of a crime which, if confirmed, would be directed against the life and health of citizens and would seriously violate their lawful individual and public interests. On the other hand, it contains signs of a crime that gravely harms Georgia’s national interests, its international image and reputation, and is directed against the interests of the state.
Accordingly, the investigation has been launched under Article 333 of the Criminal Code — abuse of power — and Article 319 — aiding a foreign organisation in hostile activities. The investigation will pursue all lines of inquiry, and the public will be regularly provided with detailed and comprehensive information on its findings,” the State Security Service said in its statement.
On 1 December, the BBC published an investigation claiming that the Georgian government may have used a First World War–era chemical agent to suppress anti-government protests in late 2024.
The report says BBC journalists spoke to chemical weapons experts, sources within Georgia’s police special forces, and doctors, concluding that water cannon may have contained a substance called bromobenzyl cyanide, also known as “camite”.
According to the BBC, the substance was first used by France against Germany during the First World War. There is little documentary evidence of its later use, and it is believed to have been phased out in the 1930s over concerns about its long-term effects. It was replaced by CS gas, commonly known as tear gas.
In response, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced plans to sue the BBC, saying it intends to use all available legal mechanisms to ensure that “so-called media outlets spreading lies are held accountable for their dirty, false accusations.”
Georgia’s state security service investigates BBC report
