BBC leadership does not intend to respond to Georgian Dream’s statement in a manner satisfactory to the ruling party; on the contrary, as I understand, they plan to present new evidence, said Teimuraz Papaskiri, a representative of the “Coalition for Change,” speaking on PalitraNews’ program Day’s Newsroom.

According to Papaskiri, it is clear that some type of prohibited chemical substance was used, and whether it was “CS gas” or something worse will be determined by the investigation.

Papaskiri noted that the BBC-produced film contains concrete evidence and that Georgian Dream’s appeal to the BBC’s internal regulator is meaningless.

“This is neither the initiation nor the opening of a case. If Georgian Dream believes the information is inaccurate, politically biased, or false, they should go to court. There is no process of appealing to a regulator or discussing the issue with the BBC’s internal representatives. The BBC film contains specific evidence. BBC leadership has confirmed that they do not intend to respond to Georgian Dream’s statement in a way satisfactory to Georgian Dream - instead, they plan to present new evidence.

As soon as the case moves to court - and that is precisely why they are not going to court - they will have to allow an international investigation and present evidence. The so-called evidence they published means nothing. It is clear that some kind of prohibited chemical substance was used. Whether it was CS gas or something worse will be determined by the investigation. Such investigations have no statute of limitations and can be conducted at any time,” Papaskiri said.

Papaskiri also stated that if anyone should sue Georgian media for the deliberate spread of false information, it should be Germany’s Ambassador to Georgia. In his assessment, the reaction to the German diplomat’s meeting with young people shows that Georgian Dream does not understand the role of a diplomat.

“They judge by their own example, when Georgian ambassadors do nothing to advance Georgia’s interests, do not meet local society or the media, and do not lobby for the country. They think all ambassadors should act this way. That is not the case. An ambassador should meet everyone - the whole society. An ambassador’s relations are not limited to the government; they engage with society to promote their country. Germany has been one of the main supporters of Georgia’s independence and a major donor for numerous projects. Exchange programs - educational, employment, and research - are most extensive with Germany. Naturally, the German ambassador meets youth organizations to explain how Germany’s policy will proceed in a situation where Georgian Dream is fighting everything European, especially in education. Accusing an ambassador with absurd allegations is a sign of Georgian Dream’s ignorance and dishonesty,” Papaskiri said.

In addition, Papaskiri said work is nearing completion on a document that will define principles for cooperation and a unified platform among opposition parties. He noted that all parties are involved in the process and that a concrete outcome will be presented soon.

In this context, he spoke about the parties “For Georgia” led by Giorgi Gakharia and “Lelo - Strong Georgia.”

“Gakharia’s party does not represent the opposition today. It has entered parliament and has barely a third of the rating it had during the October 26 elections. The party is practically in decline and does not represent its voters from the 2024 elections. As for Lelo, the document is open, and there is a high probability that Lelo will join it,” Papaskiri said.

Regarding the possible pardon of individuals detained and convicted during demonstrations, Papaskiri said that Mikheil Kavelashvili decides nothing in this regard.

“The list of those to be pardoned is not compiled by Kavelashvili - he signs the list presented to him. He will have no idea whom he is pardoning, or whether anyone is pardoned at all. However, since they said they would issue an act of pardon, someone will likely be pardoned. The authorities need this because political prisoners are a serious problem. They failed to break these people and are ready to pardon them, but the talk is that the prisoners should apologize and admit guilt. These people have nothing to apologize for or confess, because they committed no crime. If anyone committed crimes last November-December, it was this government, which violated the Constitution and earlier rigged the elections to retain power.

Accordingly, they think they might try to lower tensions. Pardoning prisoners would be the right step in any case, but Georgian Dream refrains from taking it because it does not see what benefit it would gain,” Papaskiri said.