On July 17, 2017, the Public Defender of Georgia opened the Zemo Svaneti regional office in Mestia. The main priority of the office will be to provide more information about human rights to the Svaneti population, to identify problematic issues, including social ones, in the region and to study individual cases of human rights violations.

The Public Defender has planned to carry out several educational projects in Svaneti. A library will be opened and thematic trainings will be conducted in the office.

The opening of the office was attended by representatives of the local self-government.

The Mestia office is the ninth regional office of the Public Defender. Other offices operate in Batumi, Ozurgeti, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Gori, Marneuli, Telavi and Akhalkalaki.