On September 16, a mock trial of jurors was held in the Mestia Magistrate's Court, as part of the Legal Aid Service project "Make the Law Accessible to All". The trial considered a criminal case - premeditated murder. The prosecution and defense were represented by the lawyers from the Zugdidi Legal Aid Bureau, and a judge from the Mestia Counseling Center served as a judge. The jurors who rendered the final verdict to the "accused" were people living in the villages of Mestia and the Municipality. Some of them had repeatedly participated in the Svaneti traditional justice process, where the opposing parties are reconciled with the help of elders and Makhvshi. However, the mock trial turned out to be an important experience for the "judges".
Before the process, all participants involved in the project had been covid- tested. All the responses were negative. This project is supported by USAID-PROLoG of the United States Agency for International Development and the European COE. Its goal is to raise the legal awareness of the population.