Georgian MP blasts BBC for smearing figures it deems inconvenient, including Trump

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has reportedly lost journalistic standards and is engaged in discrediting figures deemed inconvenient by certain powers, including Georgia and US President Donald Trump, Georgian ruling party lawmaker Archil Gorduladze said.

In a related development, Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the corporation of interfering in US elections and defaming him, Caliber.Az reports, citing Sputnik Georgia.

The case centres on edits to Trump’s January 6, 2021, speeches, when his supporters stormed the Capitol. BBC’s editing allegedly distorted his words, creating the impression he encouraged the unrest.

Trump described BBC journalists as “corrupt” and the corporation’s leadership as “dishonest.”

Gorduladze noted that in Georgia’s case, allegations were spread claiming the use of weapons long obsolete globally, which he viewed as an attack on the country and a challenge to its national interests.

He added that in a fair and objective legal process, the ruling should favour Trump.

The BBC published an article on December 1 claiming that Georgian security forces used a World War I–era chemical, known as “camite,” in water cannons to disperse anti-government protests in Tbilisi in late 2024.

According to the report, exposure caused protesters to experience prolonged symptoms, including burning sensations, coughing, shortness of breath, and skin irritation—effects that did not align with standard tear gas. The investigation was based on interviews with nearly 350 protesters, whistleblowers from Georgia’s riot police, and medical experts.

Georgian authorities dismissed the report as “absurd,” “false,” and harmful to the country’s international reputation. Following the publication, a state security agency launched an official investigation into the article.

As part of the investigation into both the claims made in the BBC report and the related campaign in Georgia, authorities conducted over 160 investigative actions, interviewed 93 witnesses, and seized up to 25 samples for examination from the facilities of the first and second departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Department.

By Jeyhun Aghazada