Overview
- The BBC reports that Georgian riot police deployed bromobenzyl cyanide, known as camite, during protest dispersals in 2024.
- Protesters and clinicians cited burning sensations, breathing trouble, coughing and vomiting that in many cases persisted for weeks.
- A study by pediatrician Dr. Konstantine Chakhunashvili found nearly half of those affected reported symptoms lasting more than 30 days.
- Georgia’s State Security Service says the investigation will determine what information the BBC relied on and assess its credibility, as the government calls the claims absurd.
- Camite is regarded as a prohibited chemical weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Georgia has ratified.