A political firestorm is sweeping across Georgia after a stunning BBC investigation revealed that government forces may have used a World War I–era chemical agent to crush anti-government protests in Tbilisi last year. The explosive findings suggest demonstrators were exposed to bromobenzyl cyanide — a substance long abandoned due to its dangerous and long-lasting effects.
The Georgian government is denying everything. The United Nations is demanding answers. And protesters say they are still living with the consequences.
This is now one of the most serious human-rights scandals to hit Georgia in decades — and the world is watching.
A Burning Sensation That Wouldn’t Go Away
The first clues emerged last year, when demonstrators reported bizarre and severe reactions after being blasted with water cannons during protests over Georgia’s stalled EU accession talks.
“It felt like the water was burning,” one protester told the BBC. “No matter how much I washed my face, it wouldn’t stop.”
Symptoms included:
- violent coughing
- respiratory distress
- vomiting
- intense skin irritation
- long-term health problems
Dozens said these issues lingered for weeks, not hours — far beyond the typical effects of standard riot-control chemicals like CS gas.
The Chemical: Bromobenzyl Cyanide — A Weapon From Another Century
Through interviews with:
- chemical weapons experts
- Georgian police insiders
- doctors who treated victims
the BBC uncovered evidence pointing to bromobenzyl cyanide, also known as camite — a powerful irritant used by the French Army against Germany in World War I.
It was phased out nearly 100 years ago due to its dangerous and unpredictable long-term health effects.
Yet documents obtained by the BBC show that Georgia’s Special Tasks Department in 2019 listed:
- UN1710 (trichloroethylene) — a solvent used to help chemicals dissolve in water
- UN3439 — a category of hazardous industrial compounds
Both were accompanied by instructions for mixing — and later identified by a former senior police official as the chemicals added to water cannons in December 2024.
Doctors Spot Alarming Patterns
Dr. Konstantin Chachunashvili, a Tbilisi pediatrician who participated in early protests, said his skin felt like it was “on fire for days.”
Unable to explain the symptoms, he launched an online survey.
Nearly 350 people responded.
Almost half reported symptoms lasting longer than 30 days.
Among the 69 people who underwent medical tests, many displayed abnormal electrical activity in the heart, raising concerns about long-term cardiovascular damage.
These findings align with what local journalists, NGOs, and medical practitioners suspected from the start: the water cannons contained something far stronger — and far more dangerous — than anything police typically use.
Government Denies Everything — Calls BBC Findings “Absurd”
Georgia’s Ministry of the Interior rejected the claims, insisting officers acted within the law to counter “illegal actions” by demonstrators.
The ruling Georgian Dream party accused the BBC and civil society of politicizing the issue, saying all legislative changes last year were made for “public welfare.”
But critics say the party has grown increasingly authoritarian, aligning with Kremlin interests and cracking down on NGOs, journalists, and pro-European youth movements.
UN Steps In: Potential Torture, Chemical Weapons Violations
The allegations sparked serious concern from UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Edwards, who called for a full international investigation.
She warned that if the substance used was indeed bromobenzyl cyanide, it could constitute:
- torture,
- inhuman treatment, and
- the unlawful use of chemical agents against civilians.
Weapons experts interviewed by the BBC noted that police forces already have access to effective, regulated riot-control tools. Choosing a stronger, largely abandoned chemical “would raise this to the level of a chemical weapon.”
A Nation on Edge: Protests, Political Turmoil, and Allegations of Russian Influence
Throughout 2024 and early 2025, the streets of Tbilisi filled night after night with protesters accusing the government of:
- rigging elections
- pushing pro-Russian policies
- restricting civil society
- stalling or sabotaging EU integration
The alleged chemical attacks now risk becoming a defining symbol of a government accused of silencing dissent through extreme force.
Opposition leaders say the scandal has pushed Georgia further from its democratic aspirations — and closer to authoritarianism.
What Happens Next?
Pressure is rapidly mounting:
- The UN is demanding investigations.
- Human-rights groups are calling for international monitoring.
- EU diplomats privately warn Georgia risks derailing its European future.
- Citizens are furious and emotionally shaken.
The Georgian government continues to deny wrongdoing, but the weight of evidence is growing — and the outrage is spreading far beyond Georgia’s borders.
As new testimonies emerge and experts pour over chemical analyses, one question dominates the global conversation:
Did Georgia deploy a banned WWI-era chemical weapon against its own people — and if so, who authorized it?
The answers may reshape Georgia’s political future and determine whether the country remains on a path toward Europe… or slips deeper into authoritarian control.