“The first step was to address the BBC directly, and we have done so. We have great hope that the matter will stop at this stage and that the BBC will issue an apology, which is our main demand,” said "Georgian Dream" MP Levan Machavariani while commenting on the ruling party’s complaint regarding the BBC investigative film.

According to him, it would be better for the BBC if the issue is resolved at the initial stage.

“As Mr. Papuashvili explained, under UK legislation there are several stages to go through. The first stage is to contact the BBC directly, which we have done. We very much hope that the matter will end at this stage and that the BBC will apologize, which is our main demand. Otherwise, there are further stages - the next step would be to apply to the regulatory commission, which we hope will not be necessary. However, if it becomes necessary and they do not satisfy our complaint either, the next stage would be court proceedings. If the court also does not uphold our claim, then, of course, we will apply to the Strasbourg court. We do not intend to stop. This is an absurd, fabricated story based on fiction, and for this the BBC must, of course, be held accountable. It would be better for them to stop the issue at the very first stage so that it does not cause major resonance, and for them to apologize and remove all published materials. Otherwise, we intend to pursue this issue to the very end,” Machavariani said.

For reference, the BBC reported that evidence collected by the outlet indicates that the Georgian authorities used chemical weapons dating back to World War I to suppress anti-government protests in November-December 2024.

In response, the ruling party of Georgia filed an official complaint with the BBC. Georgian Dream is demanding an apology from the BBC and the removal of the published materials. According to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, if the BBC does not correct the violation itself, the next step will be to apply to the UK communications regulator Ofcom, and if the issue is not resolved there, the matter will be taken to a UK court.