Georgia Uses WW1 Chemical Weapon Against Protesters, BBC Investigation Reveals

Mon Dec 01 2025 21:03:35 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Evidence from a BBC investigation suggests that Georgian authorities employed a World War One-era chemical weapon to disperse protesters during anti-government demonstrations last year, causing severe health effects.

A BBC investigation has disclosed that Georgian authorities utilized a toxic compound known as 'camite', a World War One-era chemical weapon, against protesters in Tbilisi, leading to serious health issues among demonstrators. Victims reported a range of symptoms that persisted for weeks. The use of such a controversial agent raises ethical concerns under international law, as its effects exceed those of conventional riot control measures.

Georgia's authorities used a World War One-era chemical weapon to quell anti-government protesters last year, evidence gathered by the BBC suggests.

You could feel [the water] burning, one of the protesters said of water cannon turned on him and others on the streets of the capital Tbilisi. A sensation, he said, which could not immediately be washed off.

Demonstrators against the Georgian government's suspension of its European Union accession bid have complained of other symptoms too - shortness of breath, coughing, and vomiting that lasted for weeks.

The BBC World Service has spoken to chemical weapons experts, whistleblowers from Georgia's riot police, and doctors, and found the evidence points to the use of an agent that the French military named camite.

The Georgian authorities said our investigation findings were absurd and the police had acted legally in response to the illegal actions of brutal criminals.

Camite was deployed by France against Germany during World War One. There is little documentation of its subsequent use, but it is believed to have been taken out of circulation at some point in the 1930s, because of concerns about its long-lasting effects. CS gas - often referred to as tear gas - was used as a replacement.

Konstantine Chakhunashvili was one of those who gathered outside Georgia's parliament in Tbilisi during the first week of protests - which began on 28 November 2024. Demonstrators were incensed by the ruling party's announcement that it was pausing EU accession talks. The goal of EU membership is enshrined in Georgia's constitution.

Georgia's police responded with a variety of riot-control measures including the use of water cannon, pepper spray and CS gas.

Dr Chakhunashvili, a paediatrician who was among those sprayed by the cannons, and who has taken part in many of the demonstrations, said his skin felt like it was burning for days, and the sensation couldn't be washed away. In fact, he said, it was worse when trying to wash it off.

Dr Chakhunashvili wanted to find out if others had suffered similar effects. Nearly 350 people responded to a social media appeal for those also targeted by the crowd control measures and almost half reported long-term side-effects including headaches, fatigue, coughs, and more.

Evidence, including a riot police inventory, indicates chemicals used in the water cannons could be hazardous. Experts confirmed the likely use of camite, a compound that has not been utilized in modern society.

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Edwards, stated that using such agents violates human rights laws, and any effects should be of short-term duration under international law. The Georgian government dismissed the findings as ludicrous and maintained that the law enforcement actions were appropriate in light of the protests criticizing the government's shifts towards reliance on Russian interests.

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