Bacho Akhalaia ბაჩო ახალაია
Minister of Defense of Georgia
Incumbent
Assumed office  August 27, 2009
Preceded by	Vasil Sikharulidze
Born	October 24, 1980

Bacho Akhalaia (Georgian: ბაჩო ახალაია) (born October 24, 1980) is a Georgian politician and the country's Minister of Defense since August 27, 2009.

Akhalaia graduated from Tbilisi State University with a degree in law in 2004. From 2003 to 2004 he worked for the NGO Liberty Institute, known for his role in protests that led to the Rose Revolution in Georgia in November 2003.^[1] From 2004 to 2005, Akhalaia served as deputy Public Defender (Ombudsman) under his fellow Liberty Institute activist Sozar Subari. In 2005, Akhalaia was moved to the post of Head of Penitentiary Department of Ministry of Justice of Georgia. In this capacity he led a struggle against the established system of "thieves in law" which ruled prisons in the post-Soviet country, but he was a frequent target of criticism by the opposition, some human rights groups and Public Defender Subari. In particular, he was accused of heavy-handed crackdown on Georgia's largest prison riot in 2006, in which 7 inmates died.^[2]

In December 2008, in the aftermath of the August 2008 war with Russia, Akhalaia was appointed deputy Minister of Defense. The Georgian media ran stories about Akhalaia's alleged tensions with then-Minister Vasil Sikharulidze and Chief of Joint Staff Vladimer Chachibaia. On August 27, 2009, Akhalaia replaced Sikharulidze as Minister of Defense. President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili said "much stricter hand" was needed in the military and praised Akhalaia's past achievements. The Georgian opposition subjeted the decision to harsh criticism.^[2][3]

Akhalaia is seen as a close ally of Saakashvili and the influential Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili. His brother, Data Akhalaia, heads Department for Constitutional Security at the Interior Ministry and his father, Roland Akhalaia, is a chief prosecutor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region in western Georgia.^[2]

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Preceded by Vasil Sikharulidze

Minister of Defense of Georgia 27 August 2009 - Present

Succeeded by Incumbent