According to Shalva Papuashvili, a complaint against the BBC has already been prepared and will definitely be filed within the established deadlines.
He said that under the existing procedure, a complaint must first be submitted to the BBC’s internal regulatory body.
“Accordingly, in the coming days we will address the BBC’s internal regulatory body with our complaint. We hope that at this level the BBC will acknowledge that the report was a fabrication and manipulation. If it does not, then we will turn to other bodies,” Papuashvili stated.
He noted that the demand is simple and concerns the acknowledgment of manipulative content.
“What we are asking for is simple — that the report was manipulative, and accordingly we demand recognition of this manipulation. The public will see exactly what the demands are. At this stage, I do not intend to speak in advance about the substance. Everything will become known once the complaint is made public,” Papuashvili said.
He further explained that all relevant legal mechanisms will be used in the process.
“There are appropriate procedures. The first stage is the BBC’s internal regulatory instrument, which must be used. If they refuse to acknowledge wrongdoing, we will see what standards they adhere to even in that case. Then there are further instruments — the regulatory commission and the courts, including the European Court of Human Rights. We will follow all these procedures in the order required,” Shalva Papuashvili said.
It should be noted that the BBC prepared an investigative report regarding the means used to disperse the protests. According to the outlet, “Georgian Dream” may have used a World War I–era chemical weapon to suppress the protests. The BBC claims that, based on interviews with experts, doctors, and special forces insiders, traces of the use of a substance called “camite” were identified.
“Georgian Dream” described the allegations as disinformation and announced legal action. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the government would initially file a lawsuit with the British regulator. At the same time, the State Security Service launched an investigation under Articles 333 and 319 of the Criminal Code, which concern abuse of official authority and assisting a foreign organization in hostile activities.
