Tbilisi [Georgia], January 16: Georgia's ruling party has filed an official complaint with BBC over "defamatory" and "politically motivated" reports alleging the use of a World War I-era chemical agent against protesters, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Thursday.
The complaint from the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party demands a public apology and the immediate removal of a film and related materials published by the BBC on Dec. 1, 2025, according to the Georgian Public Broadcaster.
The materials alleged that Georgian law enforcement agencies deployed "camite," a chemical substance dating back to the early 20th century, during the dispersal of protests in November and December 2024.
Papuashvili told a press briefing that the accusations are "false, unsubstantiated, and defamatory," stating that an investigation confirmed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has never used or possessed the substance.
He characterized the report as a "politically motivated campaign" designed to damage the reputation of the Georgian government through a "predetermined false narrative."
The speaker outlined several major violations of the BBC's own editorial standards and the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) Broadcasting Code. He cited a failure to uphold the obligation of accuracy, noting that the broadcaster presented the use of camite as a fact without verified or independent sources.
Under UK legislation, the affected party must first submit a complaint directly to the media outlet.
Papuashvili warned that if the BBC fails to rectify the violations, the ruling party will appeal to the British communications regulator Ofcom and, if necessary, seek redress through the UK courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
Source: Qatar Tribune
