Tbilisi: The Georgian government has announced legal action against the BBC, accusing the British public broadcaster of “spreading dirty, false accusations” after it published a report alleging that Georgian authorities used chemical agents against protesters during last year’s unrest.
The allegations stem from a BBC investigation claiming that security forces deployed a WWI-era chemical riot-control agent, mixed into water cannon dispersal systems, during the pro-EU demonstrations of late 2024. The protests erupted after the Georgian government temporarily suspended EU integration talks, accusing Brussels of leveraging Tbilisi’s accession bid for political pressure.
The ruling Georgian Dream party dismissed the BBC’s claims as “absurd and false,” insisting that the broadcaster failed to provide any evidence. Officials said they had offered comprehensive responses to the BBC’s inquiries but received “a cornucopia of lies” and “unfounded accusations” in return.
The government further alleged that the BBC was executing “dirty orders” and engaging in misinformation, citing recent controversies that have undermined the broadcaster’s credibility.
Broader Context of BBC Scrutiny
The dispute comes amid other challenges facing the BBC. Earlier this month, several senior staff members resigned after admitting that a 2024 documentary had misleadingly edited segments of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, creating what the broadcaster acknowledged was a “false impression of a direct call for violent action.”
Trump has accused the BBC of election interference and threatened legal action seeking damages of “anywhere between $1 to $5 billion.”
A recent UK parliamentary report also revealed that the BBC is losing more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) annually due to mass cancellations of the licence fee and rising evasion rates.
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