Georgian President slams BBC over unverified claims against Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Tuesday denounced the BBC for publishing unverified information that harms the country, calling for a thorough investigation into the matter.

In his remarks, Kavelashvili compared the current BBC report to previous cases involving the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, where media outlets spread false claims about his health.

“Recently, there was the US President’s complaint against the BBC. There was disinformation about Trump, and the BBC had to change its leadership. Drawing a parallel, nothing different is happening from what happened regarding Mikheil Saakashvili. You may recall how the BBC, CNN, and other media outlets, through their lobbying companies, hired medical experts - there was a huge fuss, claiming that the Georgian Government was poisoning Saakashvili. They even attempted to have doctors brought from Poland secretly take samples to produce false reports, suggesting that the Georgian state was torturing him”, he said.

“Remember the radical wing’s claims that if you don’t save Saakashvili today, he will die tomorrow, etc. Did anyone apologise? We remember the protest of 27 ambassadors who publicly demanded Saakashvili’s release, claiming he was in serious condition and being tortured by our Government. Later, the European Court of Human Rights rejected all these claims, confirming that he was perfectly fine and full of fighting spirit as the former President. We see what is happening”, Kavelashvili continued.

The President criticised the apparent synchronisation between media, NGOs, and political actors in shaping narratives against the Georgian Government without verification.

“The BBC built a film through Konstantine Chakhunashvili. Today, this person says he never even spoke about that substance. Let us wait for the investigation. We are a responsible Government. I urge law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation. It is often a matter of intrigue - who is behind these forces. How is it that media outlets, NGOs, and political parties synchronously speak in one voice, without anyone being questioned by the investigation about the truth or falsehood of the claims, and immediately launch attacks on the state and the Government?”, Kavelashvili concluded.

The BBC published an investigative article claiming that the Georgian authorities deployed a chemical substance dating back to World War I during protests in 2024.

The Georgian Government rejected the allegations and announced legal proceedings against the BBC in international courts.

Additionally, the Georgian State Security Service launched an investigation into information disseminated in the public sphere regarding an alleged crime connected to the claim.