In brief
Recent investigations suggest that the Georgian government utilized a World War I-era chemical agent named 'camite' against protesters who opposed the suspension of their EU accession bid. Demonstrators reported severe symptoms including skin burns, respiratory issues, and lasting effects from the chemical exposure. Experts and whistleblowers from Georgia's police force have corroborated these claims, raising alarms about potential human rights violations and the use of chemical weapons on civilians.
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.
Georgia's police responded with a variety of riot-control measures including the use of water cannon, pepper spray and CS gas.
Dr. Konstantine Chakhunashvili, a pediatrician who participated in the protests and was sprayed by the cannons, noted that symptoms lasted long after the incident.
Investigations reveal that the persistence of the symptoms among protesters aligns with characteristics of camite, suggesting misuse of chemical agents in law enforcement, potentially extending beyond acceptable parameters set by international law. Experts have raised serious human rights concerns regarding the use of such chemicals against civilians.
