Bacho Akhalaia

Bachana "Bacho" Akhalaia (

On September 20, 2012, amid protests against torture and rapes in Georgian prisons, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced Akhalaia had resigned from office.^{[citation needed]}

Early career

Akhalaia graduated from the

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

Minister of Defense

In December 2008, in the aftermath of the August 2008

Under Akhalaia's tenure as defense minister, a military production initiative was initiated, leading to the modernization of The State Military Scientific-Technical Center "DELTA" (SMSTC Delta).Delta took shape in 2010 in its current configuration.[11]Delta underwent significant restructuring, becoming affiliated with six scientific research institutes and the 31st Tbilisi Aircraft Factory. Primarily dedicated to defense-related endeavors, the organization also engages to a lesser extent in civilian industries. Operating independently from state regulatory bodies, its oversight falls under the purview of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. During his tenure, Akhalaia facilitated the integration of key scientific institutions and companies, enhancing the capabilities and resources of STC "Delta": Scientific institutes and companies entering into STC “Delta”

• Institute “Optics” (Optica)^[12]
• Grigol Tsulukidze Mining Institute;
• R. Dvali Machine – Mechanics Institute;
• F. Tavadze Metallurgy and Materials Science Institute;
• Micro and Nano Electronics Institute;
• Ilia Vekua Sokhumi Institute of Physics and Technology^[13]

In the years 2010 to 2011, the first Georgian armored carrier vehicle, Didgori, was created in two variations/modifications^[14]The specifications of the Didgori armor are confidential, but it is acknowledged to offer defense against 7.62 mm armor-piercing rounds. The vehicle features a V-shaped hull, enhancing protection against landmines and IEDs, with claims suggesting it can withstand a 6 kg mine blast. The presence of an NBC protection system remains undisclosed. Developers assert that the overall protection of the vehicle surpasses STANAG 4569 Level 2 standards^[15] During this period, LAZIKA (Georgian: ლაზიკა), first Georgian Infantry fighting vehicle, was also produced. It was developed by the Scientific Technical Center STC Delta.^[16] During this period, there were several notable advancements in Georgia's military capabilities. In addition to the creation of the Didgori armored carrier vehicle and the LAZIKA infantry fighting vehicle, significant modernizations and innovations took place. These included the modernization of artillery systems and mortars,^[17] the production of the first Georgian Unmanned reconnaissance tactical aircraft, the modernized modification of the RPG-7 launcher^[18]

Leaked diplomatic cables

According to the

After the change of power in Georgia in 2012, on November 5 he had returned back to Georgia and as he said was ready to answer all the questions about “absurd” and “idiotic” allegations voiced against him.^[21] It was the same day that an investigation was initiated following his return. Prior to his arrest on the subsequent day, Akhalia publicly announced his willingness to provide answers to all questions posed to him.^[22] He was arrested next day.^[23] In October 2013, He was found guilty in a trial over inhuman treatment of inmates in case related to 2006 Ortachala prison riot. However, then president Mikheil Saakashvili pardoned him in November 2013.During his pretrial detention, which endured for a period of 23 months, Akhalaia was acquitted in several cases.^[24] But he could not leave the prison because the pretrial detention was added to other cases^{[25][26][27][28][29]}in 2013 The first acquittal of Akhalaia in the court was followed by sharp reactions in the ruling team, the Georgian Dream Democratic Coalition's protest was left by the People's Party Chairman Koba Davitashvili.^{[30][31][32][33][34][35]}When commenting on the acquittal, Gedevan Popkhadze, a member of the parliament from the ruling party, made the following comment to the media: “Whether he will be acquitted or not, Bacho Akhalaia should still be in prison.”^[36]Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution criticizing Georgia, along with Turkey and Russia, for “abuse of pretrial detention, the resolution brings an example of former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava and ex-defense minister Bacho Akhalaia.^[37][38][39]In 2013, the Government of Georgia officially invited the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) to monitor the trials of former high-ranking officials. According to the monitoring group: "During the period of ODIHR's trial monitoring, the media reported a number of public statements by high-ranking Georgian officials regarding potential prosecutions against the former President and other members of the political opposition, with some statements being possibly perceived as direct calls for prosecution. When asked about Bachana Akhalaia during an interview, then Prime Minister's advisor Gia Khukhashvili was quoted as saying "He must be given his due for his misdeeds and unspeakable offenses"^[40]

On 22 October 2014, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Akhalaia to 7.5 years in prison on charges of torture and abuse of official powers. He was also deprived of the right to hold office for the term of 2 years and 3 months. According to the prosecutor, on January 12, 2006, the officers of Constitutional Security Department shot three young people with an unprecedented brutality near the Navtlughi bus terminal. In order to disguise it as the special operation, these people were unfairly declared as assaulters on prison. Bachana Akhalaia, who was a high-ranking government official at that time, ordered and directly participated in severely torturing six inmates in order to get from them a favourable testimony that murdered people were planning an armed attack on prison for the purpose of a mass escape of prisoners.Regarding this case, Akhalaia's lawyer Malkhaz velijanashvili, stated that this is a completely illegal and unsubstantiated verdict, there was no evidence in the case.^[41] Akhalaia was also found guilty in providing privileged prison conditions for the persons convicted on Sandro Girgvliani murder case.

On 23 April 2018, the court sentenced Akhalaia to 9 years in prison for torture, causing death of colonel Sergo Tetradze in 2011.However, Akhalaia does not agree with the court's decision even after his release following 10 years of imprisonment, labeling it politically motivated injustice. During his imprisonment, Akhalaia uthored the book 'Sokhumi-My Jerusalem'. The book delves into the dynamics of occupied territories and the prevailing socio-political situation in the country in prison he also translated several notable books, including "The Art of War" by Martin Van Creveld, "Supreme Command" by Eliot Cohen, "Why Nations Fail" by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, and "Crises" by Henry Kissinger. These translated works, delving into political-military discourse, were edited by Bacho Akhalaia ,He also translated."Truth About the Mafia” by Judge Giovanni Falcone, Currently he is actively engaged in producing the first Georgian translation and commentary of Carl von Clausewitz's "On War.^[42]

Akhalaia left prison in March 2022.He spent 9 years and 3 months in solitary confinement^[43][44][45] He said that he did not plan to return to politics.

References

External links

• Media related to Bachana Akhalaia at Wikimedia Commons