Alleged use of a prohibited chemical agent against protesters in Georgia

Written question No. 810 to the Committee of Ministers | Doc. 16347 | 20 February 2026

Signatories:

Mr Gustaf GÖTHBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Knut ABRAHAM, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Regina BASTOS, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Marianne BINDER-KELLER, Switzerland, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe BRICO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Ricardo CARVALHO, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Natalia DAVIDOVICI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Pablo HISPÁN, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Zanda KALNIŅA-LUKAŠEVICA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Ms Carmen LEYTE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Octavie MODERT, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Ms Christine PASQUIER-CIULLA, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Marko PAVIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Mr Gonzalo ROBLES, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhii SOBOLIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Tone Wilhelmsen TRØEN, Norway, EPP/CD ; Ms Albana VOKSHI, Albania, EPP/CD ; Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, ECPA

Citing chemical weapons experts, whistleblowers from Georgia’s riot police, and medical professionals, a BBC Eye investigation has indicated that an agent known as camite – a substance deployed during the First World War and subsequently abandoned by 1930 due to its harmful effects – may have been used during the initial days of the pro EU demonstrations that commenced on 28 November 2024 in Georgia.

In a recent communication addressed to Giorgi Gvarakidze, Prosecutor General of Georgia, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights underscored that the use of water cannons containing chemical irritants should be addressed as part of the POG’s investigations into the use of force by law enforcement against protesters in November and December 2024, as it raises serious questions of legality, necessity and proportionality.

Mr Göthberg

To ask the Committee of Ministers:

What measures has the Committee of Ministers undertaken to ensure that the Georgian authorities conduct a thorough, effective, and impartial investigation into these allegations?

Would the Secretary General's possible recourse to the mandate provided for in Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights help the Council of Europe organs to obtain all the relevant information on this matter?