Georgia Accused of Spraying WW1-Era Chemical ‘Camite’ on Protesters, BBC Investigation Reveals

Allegations that Georgian authorities deployed a banned World War One-era chemical agent against anti-government demonstrators have gained fresh weight following a BBC Eye Investigations probe.

Protesters who rallied in Tbilisi in late 2024 to oppose the government’s suspension of EU membership talks reported symptoms far more severe than those caused by standard riot-control measures. Many described skin burning that intensified upon contact with water and respiratory problems that persisted for weeks.

“You could feel the water burning,” one demonstrator recalled, insisting the sensation “wouldn’t wash off.”

Dozens of others shared similar accounts—shortness of breath, vomiting, coughing, and chest pain—symptoms that lingered for a month or longer.

Chemical weapons specialists, whistleblowers from Georgia’s Special Tasks Department, doctors, and leaked police information all point to one chemical: camite, a compound first deployed by the French military during World War One and believed to have been removed from circulation in the 1930s due to its long-lasting and harmful effects.

The Georgian government dismissed the BBC’s findings as “absurd,” insisting police acted lawfully against what they described as “brutal criminals.”

Doctors Sound the Alarm

Among those caught in the crossfire was paediatrician Dr Konstantine Chakhunashvili, who joined the demonstrations and later led an independent study on the health impact of the crackdown. He said the burning sensation on his skin lasted for days and intensified when he attempted to wash it away.

He went online to ask fellow protesters to share their experiences. Almost 350 people responded, with nearly half reporting prolonged symptoms such as headaches, persistent fatigue, breathing difficulties, and vomiting.

His study—now accepted for publication in the journal Toxicology Reports—showed 69 participants had abnormal heart electrical activity, raising concerns about possible long-term cardiac damage.

Local journalists, civil society groups and medical professionals had long suspected that the water cannon used during the protests had been mixed with a chemical agent. However, Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs repeatedly refused to disclose what substances, if any, were added.

Whistleblowers Reveal a Hidden History

A former head of weaponry at the country’s Special Tasks Department, Lasha Shergelashvili, told the BBC he recognises the compound described in recent accusations. He said he was asked to test the same agent—camite—for use in water cannon as far back as 2009.

The revelation fuels concerns that Georgia may have maintained access to a chemical banned nearly a century ago and deployed it against civilians protesting the government’s decision to pause its EU accession bid—an issue embedded in the country’s constitution.

For demonstrators still battling their symptoms, the unanswered question remains the same: what exactly were they sprayed with, and why?