“The use of chemical weapons against citizens is a crime against humanity – we are dealing with a Russian-style murderous political regime, monsters who use military-grade weapons against their own unarmed citizens. We are living under an evil dictatorship in which the government carries out terrorist acts against its own people,” - this is how Tazo Datunashvili, one of the leaders of Lelo – Strong Georgia, responded to the BBC’s investigative report.

According to him, this weapon is banned not only against civilians, but even in military conflicts today.

“The use of chemical weapons against citizens is a crime against humanity. In reality, a new basis has emerged for an international-scale lawsuit against Ivanishvili’s regime, if the documentary evidence presented by the BBC confirms that everything said in the film regarding the chemical substance used against the protesters is true. It is difficult to doubt the credibility of the BBC.

No matter what today’s Russian propaganda claims, the crime is so serious that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons must urgently be involved in the investigation. What we are witnessing is a gross violation of the convention by a signatory state against its own citizens. Let us recall that the last time something like this happened in our country was on April 9, 1989, when the Russian military used a banned chemical substance under Rodionov’s command and killed peaceful protesters in Georgia. This once again clearly and directly shows that we are dealing with a Russian-style murderous political regime. These are monsters who use military weapons against their own unarmed citizens. We are living under an evil dictatorship in which the government is carrying out terrorist acts against its own people. Yes - if the use of this chemical substance is finally confirmed, this is a terrorist act against one’s own citizens.

Ivanishvili’s methods in this case are dictated directly from Moscow, from the Russian model. He uses the same forms of warfare and weapons against his own people that the occupier used against us and is using now against its own population. Whatever propaganda we might hear, whether you like me or someone else or not - all that must be set aside because we are dealing with the gravest crime against one’s own citizens. A gravest crime equal to the tragedy of April 9. This weapon is banned not only against civilians, but even today in military operations - the chemical compound discussed in this documentary. This is no longer merely a political response from a regime - it is an inhuman treatment of its own citizens. Georgian Dream issued an official position, and the essence of that statement is the discrediting of one of the most authoritative media organizations in the world, labeling it as “fake media,” etc.

The BBC is regarded as one of the most authoritative journalistic investigative institutions in the world. For Georgian Dream to question a one-year investigation of such an organization is extreme insolence,” - stated Tazo Datunashvili.

As a reminder, the BBC reported that the evidence they collected indicates that the Georgian authorities used chemical weapons dating back to the First World War to suppress last year's anti-government protests.

According to the BBC, “demonstrators protesting against the suspension of Georgia's EU integration process complained of symptoms including burning eyes, shortness of breath, coughing, and vomiting that continued for weeks.”

The BBC also reported that they spoke with chemical weapons experts from the World Service, representatives of Georgia’s special forces, and doctors, and discovered that “the evidence points to the use of an agent that the French military called ‘Camite.’”