Georgia to sue BBC over report alleging use of WWI-era chemical agent on protesters

A demonstrator is sprayed by a water cannon during protests over Georgia’s suspended EU talks in Tbilisi, Dec. 3, 2024.

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has announced it will take legal action against the BBC over allegations that authorities used a chemical agent to disperse protests last November.

“We have decided to initiate legal proceedings against the BBC, a fake media outlet, in international courts,” the party said on Monday on Facebook.

A BBC article published on Sunday suggested that Georgian authorities used a “World War One-era chemical weapon” called “camite” to quell the demonstrations.

The Georgian Dream party said the article contained “absurd and false” claims based on the views of “specific individuals” and “interested parties.”

“Naturally, this so-called media outlet, which has been turned into a propaganda weapon of the ‘Deep State’, has presented not a single fact to substantiate this grave accusation,” the statement added.

‘Dirty propaganda material’

The party said its communications team had remained in contact with the journalist before publication, but claimed the BBC did not publish “even 1 percent” of the responses provided.

Authorities argued the report was a “dirty propaganda material” aimed at smearing the Georgian government, police, and state institutions.

Georgia saw widespread protests in November 2024 after the ruling party paused the country’s EU accession talks until 2028.

The latest move by Georgia comes at a time when the broadcaster is facing serious questions over its credibility and journalistic judgment.

Its standing has already been shaken by a high-profile controversy involving US President Donald Trump, who has threatened a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit after the BBC acknowledged that it had misleadingly edited portions of a speech by him.

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Source: TRT