The conditions of imprisonment of poet Zviad Ratiani, who has been in prison since June 23, 2025 and is serving a sentence of deprivation of liberty in Gldani N8 Penitentiary Institution, have been made more restrictive; his regime has been changed from semi-open to closed. A semi-open regime allows a prisoner to serve the sentence in an open-type custodial setting, whereas a closed regime entails full isolation, including a significant reduction in the number of visits. According to Ratiani, he has in fact been held under closed conditions since the day of his arrest and has been placed in a solitary cell for six months.

Ratiani writes that on April 6 the penitentiary institution informed him that he is classified as a convict posing an “increased risk of danger,” on the basis of which his regime was changed. According to his explanation, in reality he has already for months been held in practically closed conditions, including in a solitary cell.

“As it appears, the aim was to further reduce my already limited visits… but what ‘increased risk of danger’ means in my case is the main question,” Ratiani writes. According to him, he has not had any conflict either with other prisoners or with the staff of the institution. The “risk assessment” cited as the basis for the decision relies on a “minutes of a closed session.” Zviad Ratiani addressed an open letter to the Minister of Justice, Paata Salia, and the leadership of the penitentiary system, in which he requests clarification on what grounds he was classified as a person of “increased risk.”

Zviad Ratiani was arrested on June 23, 2025 for slapping a police officer. On October 9, Judge Giorgi Gelashvili sentenced him to 2 years of imprisonment.