Georgian physician dismisses document cited in BBC investigation as politically motivated

Academic staff of the Clinical Pharmacology Departments of Anesthesiology, Reanimatology and Toxicology at the State University on Friday described the document prepared by the Chakhunashvili family as politicised.

The joint session protocol was signed by well-known doctors and professors, including physician and scientist Vakhtang Shoshiashvili.

“This is a selective, observational study, where respondents’ answers may be biased and unreliable. The authors do not make categorical conclusions; they only note that the [demonstrators’] health may have been affected by electrocardiographic changes, potentially caused by gas or some other substance allegedly used against protesters. It is not even confirmed whether this gas was actually used. There is no official information, so they are discussing hypothetical causes. There was no mass influx of patients, and the purpose of the study is evident from the introduction - it was political”, the physician said.

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.

Pediatrician Konstantine Chakhunashvili was summoned to the State Security Service of Georgia in connection with the study he conducted.