The State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) has launched an investigation into the BBC’s publication alleging that Georgian authorities used a World War I–era chemical agent during last year’s protests. The agency says the probe has been opened under two articles of the Criminal Code: exceeding official powers and assisting a foreign organization in hostile activities.
SSG says investigators aim to determine in detail what information the individuals interviewed by the BBC relied upon, how credible their claims are, and whether the statements made in the report can be considered relevant or factual.
“The goal of the investigation is to thoroughly establish what information underlies the interviews used by the BBC, the statements voiced by those individuals, and how relevant this information may be.
As of today, we can identify only two established circumstances: on the one hand, the published material may contain elements of a crime which, if confirmed, is directed against the life and health of citizens and substantially violates both individual and public interests. On the other hand, the same material may also contain signs of an offence that gravely damages Georgia’s national interests, international image, reputation, and is aimed against the state’s interests,” the SSG said in its statement.
The BBC article claimed that evidence collected by its investigative team suggested the use of a chemical choking agent by Georgian authorities during protests — a claim Georgian officials have strongly denied, calling it false, absurd, and politically motivated.
Image: Netgazeti
