“During the questioning, they asked whether I received payment for giving a comment [to the BBC], which was an incomprehensible question to me. They are doing all of this to cover up the alleged crime - and that alleged crime is that a certain chemical substance was used against the Georgian people, something they themselves refuse to talk about,” said Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia, after being questioned in the presence of a magistrate judge.

Gigauri, who was one of the respondents in the BBC’s investigative report, said that investigators also asked her where she learned that Camite might have been used during the protest.

“The questioning lasted about 15 minutes, maybe 20. I spoke about who I am, my name, where I was born, what education I have, and where I currently work. They also asked whether any of my degrees are related to medical education - which they are not. They asked whether I received any payment for giving the comment, which was also an incomprehensible question for me. I once again spoke about what I think of ‘Georgian Dream’ and the comments I generally make about their actions, whether related to civil society or the media.

They asked where I learned that ‘Camite’ might have been used. I replied: from the article, just like the majority of the Georgian public,” Gigauri said.

According to her, investigators did not ask whether she herself experienced intoxication.

“They didn’t ask those questions, and I didn’t have the opportunity to speak about it because they weren’t interested. Honestly, I don’t know why I was summoned. Everything we talked about are things I already say publicly - the same positions I express in all local and international media. So I was surprised. They couldn’t have learned anything new from this interview, and I don’t know what purpose any of this might serve. One thing I can say for certain is that I will continue expressing my views, both in international and local media,” Gigauri stated.

Gigauri does not rule out that the case might be used against doctors and human rights defenders.

“Of course, nothing can be ruled out, anything is possible, because these are not independent law enforcement bodies and not an independent judiciary. We know this, and we expect everything - they can do whatever they want. They are doing all of this to cover up the alleged crime, and the alleged crime is that a chemical agent was used against the Georgian people and protesters - something they refuse to disclose. They could publish this information themselves.

Civil society has spent the entire year demanding that the Ministry of Internal Affairs publish information on what type of chemical agents were used against demonstrators,” Gigauri said.

For context, the BBC published an investigative report claiming that during the November–December 2024 protests, the chemical agent Camite - last used during World War I - was deployed.

The BBC report also discussed the effects of the substance and presented doctors’ research findings.

After the BBC publication, the State Security Service launched an investigation under two articles: abuse of power and assisting a foreign organization in hostile activities.