Georgian Authorities Deny Use of Camite After BBC Investigation
Georgian Dream officials say Georgia has not purchased or used the chemical camite (bromobenzyl cyanide), which the BBC suggested in a recent investigation may have been mixed in water cannons deployed against protesters in 2024.
Saying he had “personally reviewed” all Interior Ministry procurements, Georgian Dream Interior Minister Geka Geladze told journalists on December 2 that “Georgia’s Interior Ministry has never purchased the so-called camite,” dismissing a BBC allegation about the use of the World War I-era compound as a “total absurdity” and “a lie.”
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists on December 2 that “a compound can be mixed into a water cannon,” adding that “it depends on what substance is mixed – that’s the point.” He said several substances were purchased in the past but maintained that the specific substance named in the report, camite, was not among them, accusing the BBC of having “lied exactly on this point.”
Former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, however, told the pro-government Imedi TV on December 1 that “the substances they are talking about [in the BBC investigation] were indeed purchased and used by the Interior Ministry, but only before 2012,” blaming the former UNM government. Gomelauri added that the purchases were made “in 2009 or 2010,” and that the MIA has neither purchased nor used the substances since then.
“By what Mr. Vakhtang was referring to, various substances were purchased in 2009,” current GD Interior Minister Geladze told journalists. “Your expectations have simply led to disappointment – this is not camite,” he insisted.
“Several people gossiped among themselves, and some processes were built around that,” he added.
“During the protests, no substances dangerous to health were used by the Interior Ministry.”
Citing chemical weapons experts, whistleblowers from Georgia’s riot police and medical professionals, a BBC Eye investigation suggested that an agent known as camite, which France used against Germany during World War I, but which was phased out by 1930 over concerns about its effects, may have been used during the first days of pro-EU demonstrations in Georgia that began on November 28, 2024.
The report followed long-standing concerns raised by Georgian professional and civil society groups about the use of unidentified chemical compounds during the dispersal of the November–December 2024 protests in Tbilisi. Police used tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons against protesters, with some reporting long-term effects afterward, including headaches, fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath and vomiting.
“Unfortunately, the BBC, which once had a high reputation, is today spreading such false information,” Kobakhidze said while speaking with the press.
As Georgian Dream dismissed the BBC investigation as fake news and said it would sue the broadcaster in an international court, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) opened an investigation into the alleged “exceeding of official powers” and potential “assistance to foreign entities.”
The agency said the probe aims to determine “what information the interviews used by the BBC relied on, what claims were made by the individuals interviewed, and how relevant this information may be.”
On December 2, the SSSG summoned pediatrician brothers Constantine and Davit Chakhunashvili for questioning. They co-authored a research examining the health implications of tear gas deployment during peaceful protests, which was featured in the BBC investigation. However, their study did not allege the use of camite during the protests.
On December 2, 25 civil society organizations called on authorities to disclose which chemical substances were used during the dispersal of protests.
Also Read:
- 02/05/2025 – GYLA Slams Authorities for Concealing Composition of Chemical Agents Used During Protest Dispersals
- 03/12/2024 – Watchdog Details “Inhuman and Degrading Treatment” Against Protesters by Police
- 21/10/2024 – MIA Admits to Mixing Tear Gas in Water Canons During Protests Against Agents’ Law
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