The Bulgarian parliament has unanimously approved legislation to ban advertising for gambling on nearly all forms of media -- from television and radio to newspapers and websites.

All 198 members present on April 30 -- the last day of work for the 49th parliament-- voted in favor of the ban on second reading.

The legislation, which will become law within a few weeks when it is published in the official register, provides for a complete ban on advertising for gambling except on billboards, social media, and at sports facilities that don't cater for children. The legislation places a distance limit of 300 meters on billboards near schools and says all ads must include a large warning taking up at least 10 percent of the ad that says gambling can lead to addiction.

The advertising restriction also does not apply to the state lottery on the grounds that it is obliged to distribute its profits for sports and to cover health-care expenditures, which is not the same for private operators.

The legislation was proposed last week by Temenuzhka Petkova of the center-right GERB party and its UDF partner as well as Yordan Tsonev of the ethnic Turkish MRF party. It moved rapidly through the Budget Committee and was quickly approved after its first reading in parliament.

Advertising for gambling is currently prohibited, but there are loopholes that businesses take advantage of. The law says that the amount of winnings and the names of winners cannot be included in advertisements, but prominent people can be featured in ads along with other messages.

Child protection organizations, psychologists, gambling groups, media experts, and citizens have been pushing for years for the law to be tightened, while major broadcasters, media groups, the Association of Broadcasters (ABBRO), and gambling businesses have strongly opposed the ban.

They say they are heavily dependent on revenue from advertising and argue it threatens freedom of speech. They also insist that there are other ways to limit advertising to protect vulnerable groups.

Revenue Losses?

The broadcasters and gambling operators also point out that they have already planned their budgets, which have factored in revenue from gambling associated with this summer's Euro 2024 soccer championship and have signed advertising contracts for the tournament.

The Bulgarian Gambling Association has also voiced its opposition, warning that the ban could result in the growth of unlicensed gambling sites, which would weaken consumer protection and deprive the government of budget revenues from taxes and fees for gambling.

Former Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said the ban is a direct threat to the broadcasters and other media affected because it means a major source of revenue would disappear and Bulgaria's media outlets would become less independent.

While Denkov’s Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) supported the bill in principle, some of its members say it should be amended to include restrictions on people who receive social benefits and people facing foreclosures.

The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG) said on April 29 that the ban would have "lasting adverse effects on the state, society, and the business climate in the country."

They say that banning advertising for gambling will lead to the loss of about 100,000 jobs along with losses in tourism, sports, culture, and the state budget, and that it will affect foreign investment and exacerbate capital flight.

A draft bill Georgia's government is pushing through parliament, the so-called “foreign agents” bill, will place a blanket label on civil society organizations and human rights defenders that creates an atmosphere of "mistrust, fear and hostility" making it difficult for the country's civil society to operate, according to a senior official at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Matteo Mecacci, director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the OSCE, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service on April 30 that the bill, which has sparked huge protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and called into question the Caucasus nation’s subsequent path towards membership in the European Union, will have "negative consequences for civil society.

"The draft law imposes restrictions on civil society organizations for receiving foreign funding, which is too broad. Some of the provisions are also vague which increases the risk of arbitrary application,” he explained.

"If the essence and content of the draft law is approved, the impact on civil society will still be negative," he added.

Georgia’s parliament was set to vote on April 30 on the second reading of the controversial bill that critics at home and abroad say mirrors Kremlin legislation that has been used in Russia to silence critics and dissent.

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Tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Tbilisi for more than two weeks to protest the legislation introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The United States, Britain, and the European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, have all criticized the bill. EU officials have said it could halt Georgia's progress toward integration with the bloc.

If adopted, the law would require organizations and groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad.

"I understand that the majority of civil society organizations in Georgia receive financial support from international donor institutions, (and indeed almost all larger organizations voluntarily reveal the list of their donors),” Mecacci said in written remarks to questions from RFE/RL.

"This draft law, if adopted, would therefore turn the vast majority of civil society institutions overnight into 'foreign agents' or 'representatives of foreign powers,' which is contrary to the spirit of international cooperation.”

At a pro-government rally in Tbilisi on April 29, former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who founded the ruling Georgian Dream party and remains influential, claimed that a "global party of war" had hijacked the EU and NATO and was using those institutions to undermine Georgian sovereignty.

Critics say the legislation is similar to a law in Russia that first targeted NGOs and rights groups before being expanded to include media organizations, individual journalists, YouTube vloggers, and others who receive money from outside of Russia. Kyrgyzstan has passed similar legislation and lawmakers in Kazakhstan have been mulling such a move.

Such “foreign agent” laws have a "chilling effect" on civil society, said Mecacci, who headed the OSCE election observation mission to Georgia in 2013 and was a member of the Italian parliament.

“A blanket label on civil society organizations and human rights defenders as foreign agents or anything similar creates an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and hostility that makes it difficult for civil society to operate, Mecacci explained.

“The European Court of Human Rights has also said clearly that this kind of labelling is not just unjustified and prejudicial, but also has a strongly stigmatizing effect on their activities.”

SEE ALSO:

Wider Europe Briefing: The Georgian Gamble And The Big EU Enlargement 20 Years Later

Backers of the Georgian bill defend it by claiming it is similar to legislation in Western countries, including the United States.

That comparison was misleading if not flat-out false, argued Mecacci.

“There is a fundamental difference between the draft law under discussion and legislation in the U.S. and some other countries.

"In the latter, the legislation does not label civil society simply for receiving foreign funding, but rather seeks to ensure that private companies or nonprofits that take part in advocacy or lobbying efforts on behalf of a foreign power, register with the authorities, and then that this information is made publicly available,” he said.

“Such legislation does not apply to independent civil society organizations or media as such, and the mere receipt of funding from abroad is not sufficient to presume that they are “agents” of a foreign power and put into question their independence. The issue is not the origin of the funding received by the organization, but the nature of its activities and the work they conduct in the country.”

The Georgian bill is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing party was pressured to withdraw last year after large street protests.

The only change in wording from the previous draft law says noncommercial organizations and news media that receive 20 percent or more of their funding from overseas would have to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” The previous draft law said “agents of foreign influence.”

Although Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili says she would veto the law if it is passed by parliament in the third reading, the ruling party can override this by collecting 76 votes. Then the parliament speaker can sign it into law.

The final reading of the bill is scheduled to be debated on May 17.

"Highly confidential" documents uncovered by British broadcaster BBC indicate that Nika Shakarami, a 17-year-old Iranian protester, was sexually assaulted and killed after being detained by security forces during unrest sparked by the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022.

According to a report published by the BBC on April 30, the documents contain detailed minutes and a report of Shakarami's case as compiled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It reportedly includes the names of the individuals responsible for her death and senior commanders who allegedly tried to cover up what occurred.

RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the BBC report.

"This document summarizes the appalling actions taken against Nika Shakarami, detailing her arrest and the subsequent cover-up attempts by senior commanders," the BBC said.

Shakarami went missing during protests in September 2022 in Tehran over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly.

In her last communication with her friends, Shakarami said she was being chased by security forces.

Eight days later, Nika's body was returned to her family. The government said she had committed suicide.

SEE ALSO:

Mother Of Dead Teen Protester Accuses Iranian Authorities Of 'Lying' About Her Death In Attempt To 'Exempt Themselves'

The BBC report said documents showed Shakarami was forcibly taken into a refrigerated van, where she was handcuffed and assaulted by a male officer. As she was being assaulted, Shakarami fought back, prompting the officers to beat her with batons, they added.

Nasrin Shakarami, Nika’s mother, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda in an exclusive video message that “the forensic medical certificate indicated that my daughter died from multiple blows from a hard object to her head.”

The BBC’s investigation revealed that a former Iranian security officer confirmed the authenticity of the documents through contacts within the IRGC’s archive, utilizing an "official code issued daily to senior intelligence officers." Questions remain about how the former agent still had access to the changing security codes.

"The document explicitly states that after being apprehended, Ms. Shakarami was placed in a van with several security agents," according to the BBC. One of the agents, as per the document, admitted to becoming “aroused” during the assault, although he later denied certain actions attributed to him.

In the document, Behruz Sadeghi, a member of the security team, is quoted as saying that it was "completely dark" inside the van and "we could only see each other with the light from our mobile phones."

When Shakarami became restive, Sadeghi says, two of his colleagues, Arash Kalhor and Sadegh Manjazi, moved to forcibly restrain her.

"She started cursing again which led to Arash Kalhor gagging her with his sock, while Sadegh laid her on the van floor and sat on her to calm her down.”

The documents quoted Kalhor as saying in a statement that, when Shakarami started yelling and struggling again, "I turned on my mobile phone and saw Sadegh Manjazi sitting on her with his hand in her trousers."

Iranian authorities and the IRGC did not respond to inquiries made by the BBC about the documents.

Following her death, the authorities were ordered by senior officials to ditch Shakarami’s body on a quiet street next to the Yadegar Imam highway in Tehran, the BBC reported, citing the documents.

During the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests, Iranian state media attempted to claim that Shakarami had committed suicide by jumping from an unfinished building near her aunt’s home, where she was living.

Her family has stated that they were not allowed to see her body, only viewing parts of her severely damaged head and face.

"Who do we complain to when no one in the government will take responsibility for killing Nika?" her mother said in despair.

SEE ALSO:

Iranian Regime Facing Major Challenge From Intense 'Hijab' Protests After Woman's Death In Custody

The incident was similar in some ways to what Amini endured before her death.

Authorities have said she fell into a coma soon after her arrest because of health problems. But her family says she was in good health, while eyewitnesses said the 22-year-old was beaten while she was being detained.

Public anger at Amini's death has been widely seen as one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979.

At least 500 people have been killed around the country since authorities began a crackdown on her supporters, with thousands more detained or harassed.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to visit Iran to take part in a nuclear conference from May 6 to May 8 and to meet Iranian officials, Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency said on April 30. "Grossi will meet Iranian officials in Tehran before participating in the International Conference of Nuclear Sciences and Technologies held in Isfahan," the agency reported. The IAEA chief said in February that he was planning a visit to Tehran to tackle a "drifting apart" in relations between the agency and the Islamic republic.

Kyiv authorities on April 30 started dismantling a monument honoring the Pereyaslav Agreement signed in 1654 at talks organized for the Ukrainian Cossack state’s ceremonial pledge of allegiance to the Russian tsar. The monument is located under the so-called Arch of the Ukrainian People (formerly the Arch of Peoples' Friendship). The monument to the Pereyaslav Agreement is the second Soviet-era monument to be dismantled and removed from under the arch. Kyiv officials took down the first one -- a monument symbolizing the reunification of Ukraine and Russia -- in April 2022, two months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

A Moscow court on April 30 ordered pretrial detention of at least two months for five young people suspected of an arson attack on a Ka-32 helicopter in the Russian capital's outskirts. Anastasia Molchalina, Stanislav Khamidulin, Nikita Bulgakov, Roman Yakovets, and Daniil Yamskov were charged with terrorism and face up to 20 years in prison each if found guilty. Investigators say the group's leader, Khamidulin, was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence. It is unknown how the suspects pleaded. On April 26, Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR) issued a video on YouTube showing what it said was the arson attack. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Imprisoned Islamic scholar and civil activist Sedigheh Vasmaghi has been released on bail amid concerns over her deteriorating health after she was moved to a hospital from Tehran's notorious Evin prison earlier this month.

Her release was reported on April 29 by the Emtadad Telegram channel, which said her state of health had worsened. The news was confirmed by a source speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

Vasmaghi, a vocal critic of Iran's mandatory hijab policy, was initially detained at her home on March 16, on charges of "propaganda against the system in cyberspace" and "public appearances without Shari'a-compliant hijab."

Doctors had urged for her transfer to a hospital from prison, but officials had refused several times to carry out the move. Her deteriorating health caused her to go blind.

Prior to her release, Vasmaghi penned a letter to a United Nations fact-finding committee detailing her experiences while detained by the Islamic republic, highlighting her wrongful arrest on charges of removing her hijab, or Islamic head scarf, and the subsequent brutal treatment and torture she endured at the hands of state officials.

Vasmaghi underscored in her letter that, despite her blindness, she was repeatedly taken for interrogation without legal representation and was transferred to serve her sentence without undergoing due legal process.

In November 2023, she posted a video on social media where she wasn't wearing a hijab in defiance of Iran's strict dress codes for women.

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda at the time, Vasmaghi said she regarded her action as a protest against the religious regime's oppressive policies toward women, and advocated for the right of women to choose their own attire.

SEE ALSO:

Prominent Iranian Religious Scholar Says Hijab Law Should Be Abolished, Urges Authorities To Stop Inciting Violence

From inside Evin prison, Vasmaghi declared the mandatory hijab policy a failure. In her communication with the UN, she urged international human rights organizations to continue their efforts to hold Tehran accountable for its oppressive actions, particularly against women.

Vasmaghi has also been highly critical of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling him a dictator and slamming the country's "oppressive" leadership.

The death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022 after her arrest for allegedly improperly wearing her head scarf led to months of nationwide protests that thrust women's rights and public disapproval of the hijab law to the fore.

Iranian authorities responded by carrying out a violent crackdown that resulted in the deaths of over 500 protesters. They have also implemented a stricter hijab law with harsher penalties and longer prison sentences for those who disobey it.

The fact-finding committee of the UN Human Rights Council labeled these government actions against women as a "crime against humanity."

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Dusko Knezevic, once a close ally of former Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, has been extradited to Montenegro from Britain to face corruption charges. Montenegro’s Justice Ministry said in a statement that Knezevic was flown from London to Podgorica early on April 30 on a special flight. Knezevic, who holds British, Montenegrin, Cypriot, and Serbian passports, has been charged with committing the “criminal acts of abusing a position in business operations through incitement, creating a criminal organization, and money laundering," Montenegrin police said. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here.

A Russian missile attack on a building known as "Harry Potter's Castle" in the Ukrainian port of Odesa has killed at least five people and wounded several others, including a former lawmaker for a pro-Russian party who founded a law school in the building.

The attack on Odesa late on April 29 killed three women and one man, Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. He reported later that another man died of a stroke suffered as a result of the attack.

Of the 32 people who were injured, 25 are in the hospital, he said. Among them are two children, ages 5 and 16, and one pregnant woman. The 5-year-old is in extremely serious condition, he said, adding that six of the adults were also in serious condition.

WATCH: A Ukrainian Army spokesman told RFE/RL on April 30 that Russia used a cluster bomb in a deadly attack on a law school dubbed "Harry Potter's Castle" in Odesa.

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Ukraine Says Russia Used Cluster Bomb In Odesa Strike On 'Harry Potter' Castle

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Video showed the Gothic-style building, perched on the edge of the Black Sea, with flames shooting out of its roof in several places as firefighters battled to get the blaze under control.

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Russian Missile Attack Hits Ukraine's 'Harry Potter's Castle' In Odesa

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Serhiy Kivalov, formerly a member of the Party of Regions in parliament, lives at the site, where he runs the Odesa Law Academy.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

The strike came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the West to speed up deliveries of desperately needed weapons for depleted and outgunned Ukrainian troops.

Zelenskiy made his comments in Kyiv at a joint news conference with visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. He said that small quantities of weapons and ammunition had begun arriving in Ukraine, but he called for the deliveries to gain momentum faster in order to be useful.

"Timely support for our army. Today I don't see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slowly begun, but this process needs to be sped up," he said.

"Promptness in supply literally means a stabilization of the front line.... Together we must disrupt the Russian offensive."

An influx of weapons is expected to flow after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a long-delayed $61 billion military aid package last week. Biden said the package would include air defense munitions to help Ukraine protect its cities and infrastructure, artillery shells, and long-range missile systems.

Stoltenberg, visiting the Ukrainian capital for the third time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, acknowledged "serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield."

SEE ALSO:

Strike On Odesa Kills 5; Zelenskiy Urges Allies To Hasten Weapon Deliveries

"For months, the U.S. was unable to agree a package and European allies have been unable to deliver ammunition at the scale we promised," he added. "Ukraine has been outgunned for months and forced to ration its ammunition.... More support is on the way."

The West Kazakhstan region's police department told RFE/RL on April 30 that journalist Raul Uporov, who extensively covered ongoing unprecedented floods in the city of Oral, had been charged with hooliganism.

A day earlier, Uporov said on Facebook that police were forcibly taking him to a police station to officially charge him in an administrative case.

He later said that the case against him was launched over his online video about a move by the local Emergencies Department to ban journalists from visiting areas affected by the floods and filing reports from such places.

The department explained the move by citing "safety precautions," while Uporov harshly criticized the move in a video he made about the floods, which was posted on Instagram. Police said they considered some of the words used by Uporov in the video "vulgar" and filed a hooliganism charge against the reporter.

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Mass Snowmelt, Heavy Rains Worsen Flood Devastation Across Central Asia

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Meanwhile, the situation around floods caused by abrupt warm weather that led to massive snowmelt in late March remains complicated in the western Atyrau region.

The Kazakh Emergencies Ministry said on April 30 that rescue teams from 10 regions and military personnel remain in the Atyrau region to monitor the water level in the Zhaiyq River every hour.

The ministry said a day earlier that, among those who were forced to flee the flooding, 38,521 people had returned home, adding that some of the rescue teams and military personnel deployed to help flood-affected regions had started leaving as water levels begin to recede.

In all, about 120,000 people, including 44,000 children, had been evacuated from areas affected by the floods.

According to the ministry, 17,000 of its rescue experts and military personnel, as well almost 2,000 equipped vehicles, have been involved in the rescue efforts in the flood-affected regions of the Central Asian nation's northern regions.

At least five people died in Kazakhstan during the floods, while at least four have been missing since early April.

Estonia accused Russia of violating international airspace regulations by interfering with GPS signals. The Baltic nation's foreign minister said Tallinn will take up the matter with its NATO and European Union partners. Finnair on April 29 announced a temporary suspension of its flights to Tartu in eastern Estonia for a month due to ongoing GPS disturbances that prevented two aircraft from landing. The flights will be suspended to allow the airport to install an alternative approach method not relying on GPS, Finnair said. Most airports have such equipment installed.

Kazakh authorities have jailed several opposition activists on the eve of rallies planned across the country on May 1. A court in Astana on April 29 sentenced opposition activists Amangeldi Zhakhin and Marat Musabaev to 15 days in jail each on a charge of disobeying police orders. The same day, a court in the northern Pavlodar Province sentenced activist Embergen Qurmanov to 17 days in jail after convicting him of making online calls for an "illegal" rally. Three days earlier, a court in the East Kazakhstan Province sentenced Ruslan Nurkhanov to 15 days in jail on the same charge. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Two people were killed and six wounded in a Russian strike on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on April 30, regional head Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram as an air-raid alert was announced for most of the country. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said separately that two infrastructure targets were hit during the strike. The air-raid alert was declared for the regions of Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzya, and Donetsk. To read the original stories by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here and here.

The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office said investigators have detained former Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev on a charge of abuse of office and power.

In a statement on April 30, the office said Turghymbaev's detention was linked to "ongoing investigations into the events that took place in January 2022," a reference to nationwide demonstrations that were sparked by protests against an abrupt fuel price hike in the Central Asian nation's southwestern town of Zhanaozen.

The unrest that quickly spread across the country turned into unprecedented anti-government protests that saw more than 200 people killed.

Much of the protesters' anger was directed at former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who ruled Kazakhstan from 1989 until March 2019, when he handed over power to his then-ally Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. Despite moving into the background, Nazarbaev was widely believed to have remained in control.

The protests were violently dispersed by police and military personnel, including troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that Toqaev invited into the country, claiming that "20,000 extremists who were trained in terrorist camps abroad" had attacked Almaty, the country's largest city.

The authorities have provided no evidence proving Toqaev's claim about foreign terrorists.

Following the unrest which claimed at least 238 lives, including 19 police officers, the chief of the Committee for National Security (KNB) and one of Nazarbaev's closest allies, Karim Masimov, and three of his deputies were arrested.

Masimov was later sentenced to 18 years in prison, while his deputies, Anuar Sadyqulov and Daulet Erghozhin, were sentenced to 16 years and 15 years, respectively. A court in Astana found all three men guilty of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power.

Another former deputy of Masimov, Marat Osipov, was sentenced to three years in prison on a charge of abuse of office.

In February of this year, another former deputy and a nephew of Nazarbaev, Samat Abish, was convicted on a charge of abuse of power and handed a suspended sentence of eight years.

Abish's older brother, Qairat Satybaldy, was arrested in March 2022 and later sentenced to six years in prison on corruption charges.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted Interior Ministry officials on April 30 as saying that 398 naturalized Russian citizens had their passports revoked after the adoption of a law in October that allows naturalized Russians to be deprived of their citizenship if they are convicted of a crime. Those crimes include, among other felonies, discrediting Russia's military, distributing false information about Russian armed forces, calling for sanctions against Russia, espionage, high treason, violating the law on "foreign agents," and taking part in the activities of "undesirable organizations.'" To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.

TBILISI -- Georgia's parliament is set to vote on April 30 on the second reading of a so-called "foreign agents" bill -- regarded by many as mirroring one used by the Kremlin to silence its critics -- amid growing protests and Western warnings that the law is intended to control civil society.

NGOs opposed to the law have called for a fresh demonstration on April 30 outside the parliament building -- the latest in a series of protests attended by tens of thousands of people over the past two weeks against the legislation put forward by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Critics call the bill "the Russian law," and President Salome Zurabishvili, who has distanced herself from the policies of the ruling party, has promised to veto it if it is formally adopted in a third reading, as expected.

However, the government has the votes to override a veto and has said it will do so.

The Georgian Dream staged a large counterdemonstration outside the parliament building in support of the bill on April 29, ferrying in people from all over the country.

Ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the influential billionaire founder of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party, lashed out at opponents of the bill during a speech at the rally in support of the bill, while accusing foreign intelligence agencies of interfering in the Caucasus country's internal politics.

WATCH: Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in rival pro- and anti-government rallies as parliament resumed discussions of the so-called "foreign agents" bill.

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Another former prime minister, Irakli Gharibashvili, currently the chairman of Georgian Dream, and other party leaders say the legislation is intended to increase transparency in the country’s political environment.

In a statement announcing the fresh protest, some 20 NGOs accused Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream that "by adopting the Russian law, they are planning repression against the people...election-rigging, censorship, and a Soviet-style totalitarian regime."

If adopted, the law would require organizations and groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad.

The battle over the legislation has highlighted Georgia's precarious relationship with Russia.

SEE ALSO:

Wider Europe Briefing: The Georgian Gamble And The Big EU Enlargement 20 Years Later

Anti-Russian sentiment can often be strong in Georgia. Russian troops still control around one-fifth of Georgian territory, most of it taken during a lightning war in 2008 that was ostensibly about breakaway efforts in two northeastern regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

While the government remains against Russia's occupation and also supports Ukraine in its war with Russia, it has also made moves to align itself more economically with Moscow, and the opposition has accused Ivanishvili of using his influence to push the country in a pro-Russia direction.

The European Union, which gave Georgia candidate status in December, has said that adoption of the bill, which is "incompatible" with the bloc's values, would disrupt the country's membership hopes.

On April 29, two influential U.S. lawmakers said the bill was mirroring the one pushed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling the bill "incredibly concerning" and urging Georgia's government to listen to its people and reverse it.

"Putin used this 'foreign agents law' to drastically curb free speech, all but eliminate Russian civil society, and further solidify his brutal rule as a dictator," Representatives Gerry Connolly (Democrat-Virginia) and Austin Scott (Republican-Georgia), the co-chairs of the Congressional Georgia Caucus, said in a statement.

"It is incredibly concerning for the Republic of Georgia, a democratic partner of the United States that has received EU candidate status, to introduce and advance legislation that mimics Putin’s same anti-democratic instrument," Connolly and Scott said in their statement.

"We continue to support the Georgian people in their path to Euro-Atlantic inclusion and urge leaders to heed their calls for a flourishing and unimpeded civil society, independent judiciary, and a government that respects the rule of law and holds those who engage in corruption accountable," the statement said.

SEE ALSO:

Exiled Journalist Warns Georgia's 'Foreign Agents' Law Is 'First Step On Road To Repression'

Before going to the vote in a plenary session on April 30, the parliament's Legal Committee on April 29 approved the second reading during a stormy session that saw all opposition members expelled from the premises.

Online and print media reporters were also banned from attending the session, with organizers only giving access to accredited news outlets due to "security" reasons.

The press center also banned visitors, with the exception of those "invited by the relevant structures," from entering the building.

Georgian Dream introduced the legislation last year but was forced to withdraw it following mass protests. The party’s parliamentary group brought the law back with minor wording changes and passed its first reading on April 17, again triggering unrest.

The final reading of the bill is scheduled to be debated on May 17.

Seven people were killed in an attack on a Shi'ite mosque in Afghanistan's Herat Province late on April 29. Media reported that the attack took place at the Imam Zaman mosque in the Guzereh district of Herat. Among the dead are the imam of the mosque, a child, and five adult worshipers, reports said. No further details were immediately available. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.

A cyberspecialist who briefly worked at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) was sentenced on April 29 to more than 21 years in prison for attempting to spy for Russia, the Justice Department said. Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 32, spent less than four weeks working at the NSA before he suddenly quit in June 2022. While at the NSA, Dalke printed out top secret documents and later offered them for sale for $85,000 to an individual he believed to be a Russian agent, according to court documents. He was actually dealing with an undercover FBI agent.

Sophie, Britain's duchess of Edinburgh, has visited Ukraine, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his wife in the first trip to the country by a British royal since the conflict with Russia began, Buckingham Palace said on April 29. Sophie, 59, the wife of King Charles's youngest brother, Prince Edward, made the surprise visit on behalf of Britain's Foreign Office to show solidarity with those impacted by the war and as part of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, the palace said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Sudan on April 29 in a sign of support for the Sudanese Army, which is locked in a war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Bogdanov met Sudanese Army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, a base for the army and government officials since the RSF took over large parts of the capital, Khartoum. Bogdanov said his visit could lead to increased cooperation and expressed support for "the existing legitimacy in the country represented by the Sovereign Council," according to the council, which Burhan leads.

The total value of a 35-year contract to maintain, operate, and build most of Hungary's highways won by seven private equity funds whose owners have close ties to the Hungarian government is at least $45 billion, according to documents obtained by RFE/RL. The highway contract awarded in 2021 was made public at the time, but the appendices containing most of the financial details of the deal were kept secret. RFE/RL published details of the contract on April 29 after winning a lawsuit to gain access to the contract’s appendices. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, click here.

Police in Baku detained the chairman of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Education Center, Anar Mammadli, his colleagues said on April 29. Mammadli's lawyer, Elcin Sadiqov, told RFE/RL that his client’s detention was linked to the case against several journalists of Abzas Media independent investigative website, who are under pretrial arrest on charges of illegally smuggling foreign currency, which they reject as politically motivated. Critics of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's government say authorities in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state frequently seek to silence dissent by jailing opposition activists, journalists, and civil-society advocates on trumped-up charges. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.

A group of former prisoners who were once detained in Iran have slammed the Swedish government, saying it had failed to take enough action to secure the release of Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian physician facing the death penalty in Iran.

The 15 signatories of the letter, including prominent figures such as Barry Rosen and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, said the Swedish government’s efforts had been "insufficient" as Djalali approaches his eighth year behind bars.

"The inaction and lack of a clear strategy on Sweden's part is alarming," Siamak Namazi, one of the signatories, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

"It is imperative that the Swedish government upholds its responsibility towards its citizens."

Djalali, a medical professional and university professor, was detained in May 2016 by Iran's intelligence services during a visit for a scientific conference. He was subsequently sentenced to death in 2017 on charges of "espionage and selling information to Israel" and "corruption on Earth," charges he denies.

Vida Mehrannia, Djalali's wife, voiced her frustrations with the lack of progress in the case in an interview with Swedish Radio.

"The silence from the government is deafening," she said in the interview.

"We are desperate for action and engagement that can bring Ahmadreza home," she added.

The letter by the group of former prisoners underlines Iran's practice of detaining foreigners to use as bargaining chips in international negotiations.

They called on the Swedish government to collaborate internationally to combat the practice of hostage taking by establishing severe penalties as a deterrence.

Djalali’s case has also drawn attention to other Swedes detained in Iran, including Johan Floderus, and long-running tensions between Stockhokm and Tehran, particularly after the conviction of Hamid Nouri in Sweden for his role in the 1988 mass executions in Iran.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Police in Germany said on April 28 that they had arrested a 57-year-old Russian man on suspicion of stabbing two Ukrainian soldiers to death in a shopping center in the Bavarian city of Murnau a day earlier. The soldiers were said to be on rehabilitation in Germany when the incident took place. It is not clear if the alleged attacker and the victims knew each other. The two Ukrainians were 23 and 36 years old and lived in the southern German region of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Their names were not released, in line with German law.

Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said on April 29 that among those forced to flee the recent unprecedented flooding in the north, 38,521 people had returned home. About 120,000 people, including 44,000 children, had been evacuated from areas affected by the floods, which were caused by abrupt warm weather that led to a massive snowmelt. According to a ministry statement, some of the rescue teams and military personnel deployed to help flood-affected regions had started leaving as water levels begin to recede. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.