The Democracy Research Institute begins observation of all political rallies, gatherings and manifestations organized by political parties or civic movements.

On the one hand, the disproportionate use of force during the dispersal of peaceful rallies on November 18 and 26, and on the other hand, on December 2, the omission of police which led to injury of several demonstrators at the headquarters of the political party Georgian Dream, has clearly shown the need for objective and impartial observation of the rallies.

The Democracy Research Institute observers will attend all the political rallies, gatherings and demonstrations that are organized by political forces and civic movements in Tbilisi and Mtskheta. Observers will be guided by OSCE guidelines, which will enable us to accurately and homogenously describe protection of legislative requirements during rallies and demonstrations, identify violations and those responsible for that.

By observing the rallies, the Democracy Research Institute aims at:

• Verification of the protection of the legislative requirements by organizers and participants;
• Analysis and legal evaluation of violations identified during the rallies;
• Determine if the performance of the law enforcement officials is in line with international standards;
• Providing objective information to the public on violations identified during the rallies;
• Sharing recommendations to stakeholders.

The Democracy Research Institute calls on stakeholders, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, local self-government, media, NGOs, political parties and civic movements, to cooperate.