Georgia's authorities used a World War One-era chemical weapon to quell anti-government protesters last year, evidence gathered by the BBC suggests.
You could feel [the water] burning, one of the protesters said of water cannon turned on him and others on the streets of the capital Tbilisi. A sensation, he said, which could not immediately be washed off.
Demonstrators against the Georgian government's suspension of its European Union accession bid have complained of other symptoms too - shortness of breath, coughing, and vomiting that lasted for weeks.
The BBC World Service has spoken to chemical weapons experts, whistleblowers from Georgia's riot police, and doctors, and found the evidence points to the use of an agent that the French military named camite.
The Georgian authorities said our investigation findings were absurd and the police had acted legally in response to the illegal actions of brutal criminals.
Camite was deployed by France against Germany during World War One. There is little documentation of its subsequent use, but it is believed to have been taken out of circulation at some point in the 1930s, because of concerns about its long-lasting effects. CS gas - often referred to as tear gas - was used as a replacement.
Konstantine Chakhunashvili was among those gathered outside Georgia's parliament during the protests that began on 28 November 2024, spurred by frustration over the previous government's pause in EU accession talks.
The police responded with various riot-control measures including water cannon, pepper spray, and CS gas. Chakhunashvili, who was sprayed by the cannons, reported his skin felt like it was burning for days and the sensation intensified when attempting to wash it off.
He conducted a survey through social media to discover how many others experienced similar effects; nearly 350 people responded, with many expressing enduring side effects beyond 30 days.
Experts, including former riot police officials, have corroborated that the chemical used was likely camite, asserting significant concerns over its use in modern crowd control.
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Edwards, highlighted the danger of using long-lasting and harmful chemicals as a crowd control measure, underscoring the need for comprehensive investigations and regulatory reform.
With protests against the government continuing despite increased fines and jail terms for demonstrators, the situation in Georgia remains tense, further complicating the country's path towards EU integration.
