The Gakharia – For Georgia party calls for the creation of a temporary parliamentary investigative commission to examine the legality of the special measures used by law enforcement agencies during the protests in November-December 2024.
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According to the party’s statement, the information spread in international media about the use of banned chemical substances against peaceful demonstrators causes panic and hysteria within the Georgian Dream. This further deepens suspicions of their guilt.
“We are dealing with such a serious potential crime that the demand for an independent and impartial investigation into this case is on the agenda,” former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia's party colleagues believe that the public should know the following:
- Specifically, by whom was the order given to mix the illegal chemical substance in the water?
- Was it a systemic crime or a crime committed by specific officials that posed risks to the lives and health of many demonstrators?
“The importance of conducting an independent investigation lies not only in identifying the perpetrators and preventing similar serious crimes but also in the prompt detection of health risks to affected citizens and their vital interests.
In a context where the public lacks trust in the Georgian Dream court, the investigative system, and the politically motivated judiciary, many believe that the crime may be linked to top officials. Many believe the investigation by the GD Prosecutor's Office may lack independence, objectivity, and effectiveness.
The fact remains that, so far, the Georgian Dream has not launched an investigation into the use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators and the violence and inhumane treatment they suffered. Neither the person who issued the unlawful order nor the one who executed it has been punished. As a result, there is no assurance that this time, at least, everything will be investigated thoroughly and impartially. This is especially concerning given the chaotic, hysterical, and panicked statements from Georgian Dream. Also, there are contradictions between their positions and the forced admission that the water cannon did indeed contain a specific poisonous substance.
Taking all of these into consideration, we have decided to address the Parliament at the next Bureau meeting with a request to establish an investigative commission.
We must agree on one thing: human life and health are the highest values. It is not based on party interests, nor can it become a hostage to narrow political interests.
The investigative commission is the only mechanism that enables citizens to evaluate the investigation's objectivity personally and to receive responses to questions that concern them in real time.
That is why the faction “For Georgia” in the Parliament of Georgia is initiating a draft resolution to establish a temporary investigative commission to examine the legality of the special measures used by officials and law enforcement personnel during gatherings and demonstrations in Georgia in November-December 2024," the statement says.
“When Water Burns: The Fight for Georgia” - the BBC World Service released a journalistic investigation with this title on November 30. The journalists obtained evidence indicating that the Georgian Dream government mixed a prohibited chemical substance into water cannons used against its own citizens.
The BBC managed to obtain a copy of the inventory from the Special Tasks Department, dated December 2019. Journalists found that it listed two unnamed chemicals, named “Chemical liquid UN1710” and “Chemical powder UN3439,” along with instructions for mixing.
UN1710 stands for trichloroethylene (TCE). It allows other chemical compounds to dissolve in water. UN3439 was much harder to identify since, as the BBC explains, it is an umbrella code for a whole range of industrial chemicals, all of which are hazardous. The only one of these that the BBC found to have ever been used as a riot-control agent is bromobenzyl cyanide.
After reviewing the BBC's evidence—medical research, witness statements, interviews with whistleblowers, and human rights reports—a leading expert in toxicology and chemical weapons, Professor Christopher Holstege of the University of Virginia, concluded that the substance used was bromobenzyl cyanide, also known as “camite.”
“Camite” was first used as a chemical weapon by French forces in World War I and was soon withdrawn from use because of the long-lasting effects of exposure.
The Georgian Dream government denies the BBC's information and warns of legal action against the British broadcaster.
