On 2 December, pro-government TV channels (Imedi, Rustavi 2, POSTV), government-aligned experts Davit Chikhelidze, Ghia Abashidze, and Amiran Salukvadze, and Georgian Dream MPs Nino Tsilosani and Giorgi Gabunia claimed that the BBC’s investigation into the alleged use of chemical agents during protest dispersals in Georgia in 2024 is based on pediatrician Konstantine Chakhunashvili’s research. The doctor himself says he has not conducted such research and does not have thorough knowledge of the substance (Camite). Some of them are also sharing Chakhunashvili’s video in which he says:
Konstantine Chakhunashvili: “Right, our questionnaire was launched around 9 January. The questionnaire determines subjective data, which, generally, is of lower evidentiary value than objective medical evidence, such as laboratory tests… The emphasis today is being placed on the claim that a particular agent was used, but, firstly, we did not have that information in our study; our research was attributed to having ‘broken’ this story, so to speak. As for the composition of this ‘Camite,’ the antidote, what effects it has, and so on, I have not been able to review the literature from start to finish, and therefore there will be more competent people who can answer you at this stage…”
Chakhunashvili and his research are also mentioned by the Georgian Dream party in its statement responding to the BBC. The statement reads, “All assumptions are based on the opinions of specific individuals, including Dr. Chakhunashvili, who is one of the active participants in the illegal protests, while a member of his family, his father, Giorgi Chakhunashvili, personally took part in the 4 October ‘government overthrow’ process and physically entered the courtyard of the Georgian President’s residence.”
Myth Detector reviewed the BBC article and report. Below, we offer an overview of the journalistic materials – what was written about the dispersal of last year’s protests and what evidence the British media relies on.
On 1 December, the BBC published an article (archive – 01.12.2025) titled “WW1 toxic compound sprayed on Georgian protesters, BBC evidence suggests.” While working on the journalistic investigation, representatives of the BBC World Service spoke with chemical weapons experts, informants from Georgia’s special forces, and doctors. According to them, the evidence discovered indicates that the agent used during protest dispersals was the one French military forces referred to as “Camite.” The article’s authors note that Camite was used by the French against the Germans during World War I. Although not much information is available about its use afterward, it is known that due to its prolonged effects, it was withdrawn from service in 1930, and tear gas has been used instead of Camite ever since.
The BBC writes that they were able to identify two substances: “chemical liquid UN1710” and “chemical powder UN3439.” The journalists attempted to determine what these substances were. According to their information, UN1710 is the code for trichloroethylene (TCE), a solvent that dissolves other chemicals in water. They also report that UN3439 is an umbrella code for a range of industrial chemicals, all of which are hazardous. During the investigation, it was determined that only one substance from the UN3439 category is used for riot control. The substance is called bromobenzyl cyanide, which was used by the Allies during World War I.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Christopher Holstege said that Camite has long-lasting effects and acts as a strong deterrent. After exposure, people would have to leave the area for some time and would have to go to hospital. The United States also used Camite as a riot control agent after World War I, but it was abandoned once tear gas became standard.
What evidence does the BBC rely on regarding the use of Camite during protest dispersals?
An analysis of the BBC’s full report makes it clear that the investigation uses Konstantine Chakhunashvili’s research only to examine the symptoms described by individuals who participated in the protests. The BBC’s report also includes an interview with Lasha Shergelashvili, the former head of the Arms Service, who discusses the chemical powder and liquid. In addition, according to the BBC, they themselves obtained a document describing the equipment of the Special Tasks Department, in which the same substances are listed. According to the report, they also spoke with other former high-ranking officers, “who confirmed the existence of the chemicals and the protocols for their deployment.” The interview also features Professor Christopher Holstege, to whom the reporters say they presented the information they had gathered and whom they consulted to help them “understand what they [the chemicals] are.”
Interviews with Konstantine Chakhunashvili, Gela Khasia, and Tamar Oniani
The part of the BBC report that discusses the use of water cannons and their effects begins with an interview with activist and Coalition for Change member Gela Khasia. Khasia recalls the dispersal with water cannons and speaks about his own experience and symptoms.
Gela Khasia (8:18): “We saw the water cannons coming. It’s all the same, I thought, I’m used to it. But there was this horrible smell in the air that made it hard to breathe. There was something mixed in the water. It not only got you wet, it also burned your skin. I also had some injuries from the police on my face at the time, and when the water touched those wounds, it inflicted horrible pain. This part of my face was most severely burnt. I guess more water got on this area of my face. My skin was peeling, and I had abnormal itching. The doctor confirmed the skin damage was caused by some substances. It lasted for a month at least.”
In the next part of the report, we hear Konstantine Chakhunashvili’s interview, where he speaks about the burning and pain after the water cannon was used:
Konstantine Chakhunashvili (11:50): “Even when small sprinkles got on your skin, you were feeling a lot of pain. It has a huge sprinkle line of sight, but also a direct line of sight, right? Even if sprinkles got on your skin, you could feel it burning, and if you were without a mask, it would feel as if you were pepper sprayed. [How long did it last for?] I could not wash it off, I don’t know, for days.”
After presenting the effects of the water cannon, the BBC report discusses (from 11:30) Konstantine Chakhunashvili’s study. The journalist says that Chakhunashvili decided to conduct a medical investigation to determine whether any of the symptoms persisted for more than three months. According to the report, about 350 protesters participated in the study, and they had been exposed to tear gas and an unknown substance mixed into the water cannon. In this part of the report, there is no mention of the study identifying any chemical substance. The BBC does not rely on Chakhunashvili for information about the chemicals, and we hear in this section that “it is difficult to pinpoint which caused the specific symptoms.”
Konstantine Chakhunashvili (13:30): “Two out of three had cough. One out of two — shortness of breath. High blood pressure was identified in 283 people; heart palpitations were identified in 150 people. When someone comes up to you and tells you that they have some type of symptom, that is anecdotal evidence, right? So, we were trying to collect actual data that can be quantified, and we could see what type of symptoms they are.”
The investigation also discusses the completed study by Konstantine Chakhunashvili, and according to the report, “there have been some long-term effects beyond 30 days for nearly half of the participants in the study. In some cases, Konstantine notices worrying changes in the heart and lungs too.”
Konstantine Chakhunashvili (35:25): “We also identified that there were enlarged T-waves, which might be due to hypoxia, which means that the heart is receiving a lack of oxygen, and changes in the right atrium. We also identified long-term effects – some people had vomiting, nausea, and shortness of breath. We can definitely say that the symptoms occurred after the exposure, and some of these symptoms persisted 30 days beyond the exposure, which is a concerning sign obviously.”
Thus, Chakhunashvili’s study focused on examining and recording the symptoms of people who participated in the protests and described their experiences after the use of water cannons. After the interview with Chakhunashvili, the journalist clarifies (36:10) that “this study has not identified the precise chemical compounds used in the water cannons.”
In the next part of the report, the BBC also presents an interview with Tamar Oniani, a representative of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA). The reporter says (14:35) that the GYLA team gathered testimonies from more than 100 protest participants and that “their evidence suggests that an unknown chemical was being deployed throughout the first week of the protests.”
Tamar Oniani (14:23): “The information that there could have been some sort of a mixture of unknown chemical irritants in the water came from the early days of the protest.”
(15:16) “There are thousands of people who were targeted by chemical irritants, unknown chemical irritants. This mixture also shows the intensity and the aim of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to disperse the rally and to also have a chilling effect on the protesters.”
Interview with Irakli Shaishmelashvili and Lasha Shergelashvili, and the document obtained by the BBC
The BBC spoke with Irakli Shaishmelashvili, former head of a division within the Special Tasks Department, who discussed the internal situation at the agency and the reasons he left his job. At the end of the interview, he also says:
Irakli Shaishmelashvili (28:38): “To deploy water cannons with chemicals, you’d have to have permission from the Minister or Deputy Minister. And we end up with this dirty chain of command.”
The discussion of the specific chemicals and their composition appears in the part of the report where the viewers hear an interview with Lasha Shergelashvili, former head of the Armament Service of the Special Tasks Department.
Lasha Shergelashvili (37:33): “Here comes the first ‘TOMA’ [the water cannon] spraying water. No one can tell when the water is mixed with the chemicals. […] During my time there, I was aware of every single item in our supply. I knew everything about the special measures and weaponry. […] I remember a shot of the man who started running away, shouting that there was something in the water. So it was clear to me immediately that this chemical compound was being used. […] The consists of two separate components: powder 3439 and liquid 1710. The containers used for mixing them were about 20 liters in capacity. The powder was in 1 litre plastic jars. What really caught my attention was the symbol of the skull and crossbones. We tested this chemical mixture soon after it was delivered. As a result, two of the trainees threw up. I was standing nearby to experience the effect of it myself. I will try to describe it. Your eyes are burning and you struggle to breathe. In the case of [normal types of] tear gas, you can still breathe through your mouth and it gets better after a short while, but with this chemical, with these effects, there’s nothing I could compare it to.”
According to the reporter, the interviewee said that in the past he had been instructed to test the chemical mixture intended for water cannons, and it turned out to be ten times stronger than regular tear gas. The journalist quotes him saying that he recommended not using the chemicals, but this recommendation was ignored, and the chemicals “were still added to the tanks of water cannons, and they were there throughout his tenure, until 2022.”
In addition, according to the BBC, they obtained a strictly confidential document describing the inventory of the Special Tasks Department from that period. They verified its authenticity. They found that the two chemicals mentioned by Lasha Shergelashvili were included in the list, along with instructions for mixing them. The report’s authors also say that Shergelashvili had contact with former colleagues who confirmed that these chemicals were used on Rustaveli Avenue in 2024. The BBC reports that they also spoke with other former high-ranking officers, “who confirmed the existence of the chemicals and the protocols for their deployment.”
Interviews with Christopher Holstege, Sandra Nixon, and Alice Edwards
The BBC also conducted an interview with Professor Christopher Holstege, a world-leading expert in toxicology and chemical weapons, whom they consulted to help them “understand what they [the chemicals] are,” according to the report. The journalist says that identifying the first chemical – the liquid – is straightforward and that it is trichloroethylene.
Christopher Holstege (42:20): “It’s a puzzle. What is it that they put into the water that actually was sprayed, and what kind of evidence do we have that might help us to narrow the playing field of what chemicals were put into it. So that’s intriguing in the case. […] Trichloroethylene is absorbed very well through the skin to the lungs, and to the gastrointestinal tract. It impacts the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, it can affect the liver. It is certainly not a chemical that I want thrown out to the masses during protests. And it’s all about the dose; that makes it poison, and the higher the dose, the more the risk there is of complications. So, you have a chemical in a high-pressure device. So if I’m close to the water cannon, there is not only the concern about getting this aerosol on people’s skin or inhaling it, but they can also ingest it. If I’m hit by the spray there is a chance that I can get a pretty big mouthful and swallow that. I worry about that significantly as a toxicologist.”
The report also discusses the second substance – the powder UN3439 – which, according to the BBC, was analyzed by Dr. Holstege together with his colleague, Dr. Sandra Nixon. According to the report, they looked at the information collected by the BBC: “Konstantine’s medical study, witness statements, and human rights reports. Based on our evidence, they now have a hypothesis.” The BBC then presents their theory that it is a chemical agent called “Camite,” or CA, which “was first used as a chemical weapon by the French forces against the Germans at the end of World War I. It was then briefly used by American police as a riot control agent, but soon abandoned and replaced with safer options.”
Christopher Holstege (44:51): “I have never seen Camite being utilized in modern society. Camite was developed around the time of World War I and was utilized very effectively as a riot control agent or an irritant substance. Camite is markedly irritating, persistent with its irritation, potential for causing more problems with your lungs – coughing, for example, and potentially pneumonias. It is not clear even if you drink some of this, what kind of symptoms you can have gastrointestinal, including vomiting. I think the question then comes, why would you utilize it? And part of it is the persistence. It would keep people away for a long time. They couldn’t decontaminate [themselves]. They would have to go to the hospital. They would have to leave the area. If that is indeed the case – that this chemical has been brought back – that is actually exceedingly dangerous.”
According to the report, the BBC also presented its findings to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Edwards.
Alice Edwards (46:10): “The important point under the international law is that any effect should be temporary. So, longer-term problems, such as long-term respiratory issues or those related to heart conditions, are beyond what would be considered temporary and acceptable. So all of those cases should be investigated, including under the rubric of torture or other ill-treatment. […] I would describe the water cannons infused with different toxins as entirely unnecessary. Given that it is poorly regulated internationally, it does lead me to consider as an experimental weapon. And populations should never be subjected to experiments. This is absolutely in violation of human rights law.”
The report also includes the response of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which calls the allegation of mixing chemical substances into water cannon streams “deeply frivolous” and “absurd,” stating that law enforcement acted within the bounds of the law and the constitution.
Response and investigation following the BBC’s report
The government denies purchasing Camite or using it to disperse protests. Vakhtang Gomelauri, who served as Minister of Internal Affairs during the November-December protests, says that the Ministry of Internal Affairs purchased and used a similar substance before 2012, and that the last purchase, according to him, was made in 2009-2010. A different statement was made by the current Minister of Internal Affairs, Gela Geladze, who says that the Ministry has never purchased so-called Camite.
Following the publication of the BBC’s report, the State Security Service opened an investigation under two articles. According to the State Security Service, they will investigate under Article 333, which concerns abuse of official power, and Article 319, which concerns assisting a foreign organization in hostile activities. “The aim of the investigation is to determine in detail what information the interviews used by the BBC as the basis of its report relied upon, what information the interviewees presented, and how relevant this information may be,” the agency’s statement says. On December 2, Konstantine Chakhuanshvili wrote on Facebook that he had been summoned to the SUS for questioning.
The Georgian Dream party also responded to the BBC’s report. In its assessment, the article contains absurd and false information, as well as accusations against the Georgian government implying that chemical substances were used against protesters. The Georgian Dream announced that it will initiate legal proceedings against the BBC in an international court. According to the party, the report is based on “the stories of criminals,” and the responses they provided to the journalists’ questions were not reflected in the material. The party sees the BBC’s report as an attempt to discredit the Georgian government, police, and Georgian statehood.
The television channel Formula published the BBC’s response letter. The media outlet reiterates that its investigation relies on multiple expert opinions, factual evidence, and testimonies of demonstrators injured during the protests. “The investigation is firmly in the public interest and the evidence gathered is clearly presented for audiences. We stand by our journalism and thank the brave contributors who took part,” the BBC’s statement reads regarding the report on Georgia.
