PEN Belarus joins the statement of PEN International about poet and translator Zviad Ratiani.
‘Zviad Ratnani has been repeatedly targeted by the Georgian authorities over the years on account of his independent views. His sentencing clearly shows the authorities’ determination to crush all dissent. We urge an end to the politically motivated prosecutions of protesters in Georgia, and for their fundamental rights to be upheld’, said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
10 October 2025: Poet and translator Zviad Ratiani must be released from prison and his right to a fair trial upheld, PEN International and PEN Georgia said today, after Ratiani received a two-year sentence on politically motivated grounds. PEN International and PEN Georgia further call upon the Georgian authorities to end their ever-growing clampdown on dissent.
On 9 October 2025, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced renowned poet and translator Zviad Ratiani to two years in prison for ‘resistance, threat, or violence against a public official’ under Article 353 (1) of the Georgian Criminal Code. Ratiani was detained by police on 23 June 2025 after he slapped a police officer while taking part in a protest outside parliament in Tbilisi, and faced grossly disproportionate charges of assaulting a police officer, which carry between four and seven years in prison. PEN International and PEN Georgia reviewed video footage of the incident, which showed the slap posed no harm to the police officer involved – who sustained no injuries. Members of the literary community in Georgia have rallied in support of Ratiani, whose requests for release on bail were all denied.
Ratiani has been repeatedly targeted by state and non-state actors in recent years. Already on 29 November 2024, PEN Georgia documented the brutal beating of Ratiani by police in Tbilisi. Ratiani suffered serious injuries, including fractures to his nose and back. He was sentenced to eight days of administrative detention by the Tbilisi City Court on 2 December 2024 on alleged charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying lawful police orders (Articles 166 and 172 of the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia). After his release, Ratiani was attacked and beaten again outside his home by unknown individuals. He had previously lived in exile in Austria following a violent incident with the police in 2017, which led to his arrest. Speaking in court on 2 October 2025, Ratiani reported being denied access to writing materials in prison, unlike other detainees.
Ratiani’s case highlights broader concerns of politically motivated prosecutions in Georgia, after anti-government protests erupted in the country last year. Peaceful protesters and journalists seeking to cover the events continue to face police violence, including acts of torture and other ill-treatment, with complete impunity. Legal proceedings have also flouted fair trial standards.
The Georgian authorities’ alarming onslaught on independent voices shows no sign of abating. PEN International and PEN Georgia call once again on the authorities to abide by their national and international obligations and to fully uphold fundamental rights.
Additional information
Born on 5 January 1971, Zviad Ratiani is an award-winning Georgian poet and translator.
He has published five poetry collections and worked on translations of English and German poetry, including works by T. S. Eliot, E. Pound, R. Frost, M. Rilke and P. Celan. His poems have been translated into scores of languages, including English, German, French, Russian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian, and Latvian. He was awarded the Literary Award SABA in 2010 for best poetry collection (The Negative), and the Literary prize LITERA in 2016, also for best poetry collection (Only You Are Allowed).
Prominent Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli is serving a two-year prison sentence on similar politically motivated grounds. Her allegations of ill-treatment by police have yet to be investigated. PEN International and PEN Georgia reiterate calls for her release.
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