“In line with the intention announced on the day the BBC released its defamatory publications, yesterday the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party filed an official complaint with the BBC,” the Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated at today’s briefing.
According to Papuashvili, the accusations regarding the alleged use of the chemical agent ‘camite’ by Georgian authorities are false, unsubstantiated, and defamatory.
He emphasized that Georgian Dream is demanding an apology from the BBC and the removal of the film and all related materials from relevant platforms.
Papuashvili outlined the grounds for the complaint.
“As you know, on December 1, 2025, the BBC, a publicly funded British broadcaster, published a film and related materials containing serious, damaging, and categorical allegations, including claims that the Georgian government used the World War I chemical weapon ‘camite.’ These allegations are false, unsubstantiated, and defamatory.
The absurdity of these claims, along with the nature and scale of the violations and dishonest actions involved, leads us to believe that this is a politically motivated campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of the Georgian government through a predetermined false narrative. The questionable reliability of the materials used and the manner in which they were presented demonstrate that the purpose of these publications was not to inform the public through accurate, balanced, and properly sourced journalism, but rather to shape public perception and advance a political narrative.
This false narrative has since been widely disseminated and amplified by high-ranking foreign officials and domestic political actors and is being used as a politically motivated tool against the ruling party of Georgia, Georgian Dream.
Therefore, as announced on the day of the BBC’s defamatory publications, yesterday we filed an official complaint with the BBC on behalf of the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party.
The film and accompanying materials contain serious and unsubstantiated allegations that violate the BBC’s own editorial standards, the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) Broadcasting Code, and the fundamental principles of responsible journalism.
First and foremost, there is a clear violation of the obligation of accuracy. The BBC presented as fact the claim that Georgian law enforcement agencies used the chemical substance ‘camite’ during the protests. This claim is not supported by any verified, independent, or reliable source. On the contrary, the investigation confirmed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has never used or possessed this substance.
The BBC also falsely presents the events as though protest participants did not engage in violent acts against law enforcement officers and that the authorities nevertheless dispersed the gatherings. In addition, without any reliable evidence, the BBC claims that the Honorary Chairman of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, was involved in decision-making related to the dispersal of violent protests held in November–December 2024.
The second major violation concerns impartiality. The report advances a clearly one-sided narrative, portraying the Georgian government as the organizer of violence and labelling it as ‘pro-Russian’ and ‘acting in Russia’s interests,’ while completely ignoring the government’s position, official explanations from law enforcement agencies, and the broader context necessary for an objective assessment of the events.
The third issue is the disregard for fairness and the right to reply. The BBC approached the Georgian government with serious allegations only a few days before the broadcast, which contradicts its own editorial guidelines requiring meaningful engagement within an adequate timeframe in cases involving grave accusations.
Finally, the report contains clear elements of defamation. It relies on statements from individuals whose credibility, conflicts of interest, and background were not disclosed to the audience. As a result, assumptions and hypotheses are presented as established facts, leaving viewers with a distorted and misleading picture.
The complaint is based on the BBC’s editorial principles, the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, which establishes that journalists bear the highest responsibility for accuracy, verification, and fairness when disseminating serious allegations.
With our complaint, we request: 1. The removal of the film and all related materials from the relevant platforms; 2. A clear and public apology from the BBC for the following unfounded assumptions and assertions:
Making and disseminating an unfounded assumption and assertion that Georgian law enforcement agencies used the chemical substance ‘camite’;
Disseminating unfounded information that Georgian law enforcement agencies used physical force in circumstances where protest participants did not attack them;
Making an unsubstantiated claim that the interests of the Georgian Dream party coincide with the interests of Russia;
Disseminating unfounded information that the Honorary Chairman of Georgian Dream participated in decision-making related to the dispersal of violent gatherings.
I would like to clarify that, in accordance with United Kingdom legislation, a defined complaints procedure exists under which an affected party must first submit a complaint directly to the media outlet. This requirement has been fulfilled, as we filed our complaint with the BBC yesterday.
If the BBC fails to rectify the violations on its own, the next step will be to appeal to the British communications regulator, Ofcom. Should the violations remain unaddressed at that stage, we will then exercise our right to apply to the courts of the United Kingdom.
We intend to use all available legal mechanisms to expose this vile campaign against Georgia, including, if necessary, the right to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights,” Papuashvili stated.
