Georgia drops controversial ‘foreign agent’ bill after two days of violent protests
Georgia’s ruling party said it will drop a controversial bill on “foreign agents” after two days of violent protests.
The ruling party, named Georgian Dream, said in a statement it would “unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported without any reservations”.
It cited the need to reduce “confrontation” in society but denounced “lies” told about the bill by the “radical opposition”.
The bill would have required Georgian media and non-governmental organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” or face fines.
Critics said the draft bill represented an authoritarian shift to the right and compared it with a 2012 Russian law that has been used to clamp down on dissent.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said she would veto the bill if it crossed her desk.
Police use tear gas to disperse protesters during a rally against a draft law on “foreign agents”
Georgia, which became an independent state after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, was not granted candidate status for EU membership last year, with the bloc citing stalled political and judicial reforms.
Supporters of the membership campaign were angered by the bill, claiming it would complicate Georgia’s path to joining.
Writing on Twitter after the decision to withdraw the bill, the EU’s delegation to Georgia said: “We welcome [the] announcement by the ruling party to withdraw draft legislation on ‘foreign influence’.
“We encourage all political leaders in Georgia to resume pro-EU reforms, in an inclusive and constructive way.”
Protesters hold a rally against the “foreign agents” law in Tbilisi, Georgia
Georgia’s opposition has long criticised the ruling party for what it sees as excessive closeness to Moscow.
A 2012 law on foreign agents in Russia was passed after a wave of public protests against Putin’s return to presidency. The law required organisations engaging in political activity and receiving funding from abroad to register as foreign agents.
The Georgian government said its own legislation was modelled on US foreign agent laws that have been in place since the 1930s.
The Georgian Dream party previously said it was necessary to unmask critics of the Georgian Orthodox Church – one of the country’s most powerful institutions.
Protesters put out fire during a rally against a draft law on “foreign agents”, which critics say represents an authoritarian shift
Parliament initially approved the bill, but it sparked mass protests in the capital Tbilisi as tens of thousands of people gathered outside parliament to protest the bill on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Brawl breaks out in Georgia parliament
Police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons to disperse the crowds as some protestors threw petrol bombs and stones.
Georgia’s interior ministry said 77 people were arrested.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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