Georgia: Ex-Jailor-in-Chief Tapped to Head Defense Ministry

A former prison boss, who has been both credited and criticized for a clampdown on organized crime in Georgia, has been nominated as the country's latest defense minister.

Announcing the nomination of Bacho Akhalaia for the chief spot at the Defense Ministry, President Mikheil Saakashvili asserted on August 27 that the 28-year-old has what it takes to bring the army up to speed with Georgia's post-war security challenges. The president tasked Akhalaia with a comprehensive reorganization of the Georgian military. Before being tapped by Saakashvili to head the Defense Ministry, Akhalaia had served as deputy defense minister. Akhalaia's appointment is subject to confirmation by parliament, where pro-Saakashvili deputies hold a large majority of seats.

"The army will be capable of defense," Akhalaia pledged in terse media comments. He announced that his top priority was making the Georgian military compatible with the standards of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- far from a surprise announcement. Georgia's aggressive push to join the Atlantic Alliance has become less visible since its loss of the 2008 war with Russia, but remains a key focal point.

A diehard Saakashvili loyalist, Akhalaia is also a close ally of Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili. The new minister's father and brother both hold high positions within law enforcement and security agencies.

Speaking at a televised National Security Council meeting, Saakashvili commended outgoing defense minister Davit Sikharulidze for his eight months in office, but added that "there is way more to be done, and a much more rigid hand is needed in this structure."

Georgian media claims that Akhalaia's assertive management style means there is little love lost between Sikharulidze and his erstwhile deputy.

Views about Akhalaia's nomination vary. Saakashvili's governing United National Movement has embraced the nomination, praising Akhalaia for his crackdown on Georgia's criminal bosses during the time that he headed the prison system from 2005 until late 2008.

But heavy-handed tactics, such as a 2006 violent crackdown against prison riots, have also raised human rights concerns. Ombudsman Sozar Subari took those concerns a notch higher, calling Akhalaia a criminal. "There is enough evidence to bring charges against the new defense minister," Subari told an August 27 news conference in reference to Akhalaia's alleged rights violations.

Some presidential critics warned of further military "adventurism," while others predicted that Akhalaia would use the army against the government's domestic political opponents. "It's part of the campaign to destroy the army," Salome Zourabichvili, a former foreign minister and leader of the Georgia's Way party, told the pro-government Rustavi-2 television.

Saakashvili defended Akhalaia's tenure as prison boss, saying that his crackdown on crime bosses in Georgia's prisons enjoyed a presidential blessing. He also credited Akhalaia with the erection of fortification lines around the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, to shield against a potential attack by Russia.