Poet Zviad Ratiani sentenced to 2 months in pre-trial detention for alleged assault on police officer

Tbilisi City Court Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili has ordered two months of pre-trial detention for acclaimed Georgian poet Zviad Ratiani, who was arrested near Parliament on June 23. The prosecution accuses Ratiani of assaulting a police officer.

The defense had requested that Ratiani be released on 10,000 GEL bail until trial, but the judge denied the request. Prosecutor Giorgi Gogaladze argued against bail, citing Ratiani’s repeated fines—19 instances—for blocking roads during protests, none of which had reportedly been paid.

Ratiani addressed the court, stating he had no hope of avoiding pre-trial detention. “I’m not going to flee. I need to be on Rustaveli Avenue every evening, and now that detention is approaching, I must tend to my work.”

He emphasized that any risk of pressure lies not with him, but against him, as the witnesses are all police officers. He also said his responsibilities as a citizen and artist are inseparable: “What I do in literature and as a citizen cannot be divided.”

Hours before the court session, pro-government media released CCTV footage that allegedly shows an altercation between Ratiani and a police officer. The video shows Ratiani speaking with a patrol officer before striking him. Seconds later, multiple officers detain him and place him in a police car.

The next hearing is scheduled for August 14 at 11:00 a.m.