“These are cheap attempts to mislead people and create the illusion that something happened during the Tbilisi protests, which constitutes a violation of the law. Incidentally, this became quite apparent from the assessments of qualified doctors as well. As it turns out, those whom the BBC relied upon never said such things. Therefore, everyone should refrain from such erroneous, incorrect, and baseless conclusions,” Georgia’s Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze stated.
According to Sarjveladze, the furore regarding chemical poisoning is baseless.
“When people are told that someone has poisoned someone else, they need to be extremely careful. This is easily confirmed by the conclusions of highly qualified doctors, and elementary logic suffices to say that the hysteria whipped up regarding chemical poisoning is absolutely incorrect and unfounded. The substance people are being told was used doesn’t even dissolve in water. I strongly urge you, before you tell people they were poisoned with a specific substance, to show more responsibility,” Sarjveladze declared.
In response to the question: “Last year, the Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) sent an official letter to the Ministry of Health requesting information about the substance that was used. The agency replied that there was no need and that they had not requested such information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Subsequently, the Public Defender also requested information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Even today, there are claims that the symptoms observed during these protests were different from those in previous protests. Have you inquired over the past year, and do you now know what substance was used?” Sarjveladze replied:
“The data circulating, upon which people are drawing incorrect conclusions, as if the situation is alarming or demands someone’s involvement, investigation, or examination, is unfounded and false. The Chakhunashvili report describes an incident that occurred during a rally attended by thousands. It emerged that only a few dozen individuals contacted emergency services with respiratory issues. The letter I issued details the facts: how many people required medical assistance and how many were hospitalised with these symptoms. In total, there are only a handful of isolated cases. If anyone wishes to investigate individual cases, medical personnel and hospitals are fully prepared to conduct individual assessments.
All of this is entirely false, a fabricated hysteria. The aim is to politicise the situation. This was evident from the very beginning, from the first report, where doctors made political assessments. The true motivation appears to be political bias, aimed at damaging the Georgian government’s reputation. To achieve this, they manipulate and employ methods which, in reality, amount to hostility towards the country,” the Health Minister said.
According to Sarjveladze, “the entire world knows that when a protest may take on an unlawful character, police and law enforcement agencies have the right to use various policing methods.”
“Including methods that irritate the respiratory system, tears, and so forth. You can verify immediately through any source that pyrotechnics also have harmful properties. Consider what potential harm such pyrotechnics could have caused to people. An unlawful protest is being dispersed, conventional means have been employed, and now I am being told I must investigate a specific formula simply because someone provided incorrect information to the BBC, which then, either deliberately or inadvertently, disseminated false information without verification.
I am supposed to establish details that I already know to be false. I do not accept the opinion of Chakhunashvili, which the BBC wrongly relies upon; rather, I trust the assessments of highly qualified toxicologists who have stated there is no reason to believe anyone used anything unlawful.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has detailed information about the specific substance purchased, including when it was bought and its exact composition. I trust that the Ministry acted in accordance with legislation when employing these methods.
On the days when the protests took place, there were also cases of alcohol intoxication. There may have been instances involving pyrotechnics as well. Not a single individual required even a single day’s hospitalisation due to intoxication. And are we to claim that people were confronted with lethal means?” Sarjveladze declared.
