Georgian health minister denounces alarm over alleged "chemical poisoning" of protesters

The Georgian Ministry of Health has dismissed claims of chemical poisoning at recent protests as unfounded.

Mikheil Sardjveladze, the country’s Health Minister, told local media that the panic surrounding the alleged incident was “completely wrong and baseless,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

“According to expert medical assessments – and basic logic – the whole fuss over chemical poisoning is entirely misplaced,” he said.

“The substance being cited could not even dissolve in water. I urge everyone to exercise greater responsibility before claiming that people have been poisoned with a particular chemical.”

The minister added that no one had required hospitalisation, even for a single day, due to intoxication during the demonstrations.

Georgian authorities allegedly used a World War I-era chemical weapon, known as “camite,” against anti-government protesters last year, according to British media. Demonstrators opposing the government’s suspension of EU accession talks reported severe burning sensations from water cannon sprays, along with coughing, vomiting, and shortness of breath lasting weeks.

Camite was originally deployed by France during World War I and reportedly withdrawn in the 1930s due to its long-lasting effects.

Experts, whistleblowers, and doctors suggest its use in Tbilisi, while Georgian officials rejected the findings, calling them “absurd” and defending the police response as legal.

By Aghakazim Guliyev