NGOs Demand Answers After BBC Report Alleging Use of Banned Chemical Agents on Protesters
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Dozens of Georgian civil society groups have issued a joint statement calling on the government to publicly disclose what substances police deployed against demonstrators during the November-December 2024 protests. The appeal follows a BBC investigation published on December 1 that reported evidence suggesting security forces used a World War I-era chemical agent during crowd dispersal.
In their statement, the organizations argue that the use of any harmful chemical on peaceful crowds would violate international human rights standards. They warned that such actions could amount to torture or inhuman treatment under international law.
The groups said they intend to formally approach international institutions in the coming days to request independent expert missions to Georgia. "The materials of the BBC's investigation contain shocking reports of the use of banned chemical weapons by Ivanishvili's police against the Georgian people," the statement reads. The NGOs accuse the authorities of failing to investigate violent incidents from late 2024 and note that no officials have been held accountable. Instead, they say top figures in the ruling party have praised law enforcement officers involved in the crackdown and even granted state honors to several of them.
The BBC investigation reported that police may have used bromobenzyl cyanide, a chemical first deployed during World War I and later prohibited due to its health risks, by mixing it into water cannon streams. According to the NGOs, the substance is far more dangerous than standard riot control agents and can cause long-lasting harm.
This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the Interior Ministry's practices during the 2024 protests. A separate report by investigative journalists from "Nodar Meladze's Saturday" detailed alleged misuse of special equipment by police. The Georgian Young Lawyers Association and partner NGOs also documented similar issues in their assessment of the post-election human rights situation. For months, they say, the Interior Ministry has declined to reveal the contents of the chemicals used in tear gas and water cannons despite repeated information requests.
The groups now argue that, beyond human rights concerns, there may also be a violation of the international Chemical Weapons Convention if bromobenzyl cyanide was indeed deployed. They plan to urge international bodies to send qualified investigators to determine whether the government breached international law.
"Along with a full investigation, we demand a clear and public explanation of what chemical substances were used by police against peaceful protesters in November and December 2024," the statement concludes.
The declaration is signed by more than two dozen organizations, including Rights Georgia, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, Transparency International Georgia, the Social Justice Center, the Human Rights Center, the Tolerance and Diversity Institute, Green Alternative, Tbilisi Pride, and other prominent groups.
The BBC report that prompted the appeal concludes that the evidence its journalists obtained points to Georgian authorities deploying a banned chemical agent during last year's anti-government demonstrations.
