Right of application: judges have left Evgenia Hutsul under arrest

On April 2, the Chisinau Court of Appeal rejected the protest of the lawyers of the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, leaving her in custody for 20 days. She is accused of financial fraud, but the opposition calls it a political massacre. Lawyer Hutsul criticized the decision and questioned the impartiality of the judges. Protests continue in the country, and some other opposition leaders have been detained. Dissatisfaction with the authorities is increasing against the background of economic problems. How this will affect Gagauzia and what to expect from the 2025 parliamentary elections in Moldova — in the Izvestia article.

Why was the head of Gagauzia arrested?

The Chisinau Court of Appeal has detained the head of the Gagauz Autonomy, Evgenia Gutsul, rejecting the protest of her lawyers. Thus, the 20-day arrest imposed earlier by the judge of the Chisinau District Court, Sergei Lobanu, remains in force. At the same time, the prosecutor's office sought to extend the detention to 30 days, but the court rejected this request. The pretext for such demands was the criminal charges of her alleged involvement in the illegal financing of the Shor party (in June 2023, this political force was declared unconstitutional). Hutsul was placed under 20-day arrest on suspicion of financial irregularities during the elections of the head of Gagauzia in 2023.

Hutsul's lawyer, Sergei Moraru, noted after the meeting that two of the judges had been temporarily delegated and their future careers depended on the decisions they made.

— A decision that does not suit the government automatically returns these judges to where they were delegated from. One of them recently received a new bid, and this is no coincidence. This means that he makes decisions not according to the law, but in the interests of the government," Moraru said.

The lawyer also stressed that similar cases have already led to Moldova's conviction in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).:

— Today, some judges cannot be promoted because their decisions have been declared illegal by the ECHR. Remember the names of these three judges who represent Mr. Rechan (the Prime Minister). They will be involved in future decisions of the ECHR," Moraru said.

Hutsul was detained on March 25 at Chisinau airport before flying to Istanbul, where she had meetings scheduled. The head of Gagauzia was accused of violating the procedure for managing the financial resources of election funds, forgery of documents and false statements in declarations during the election campaign in Gagauzia in 2023.

Hutsul became the head of the region in the spring of 2023, having won the elections in which she ran for the opposition Shor party (not yet banned at that time). She has repeatedly criticized the central authorities for infringing on the rights of autonomy and advocated strengthening ties with Russia.

Earlier, Gutsul, through lawyers, appealed to the presidents of Russia, Turkey and the United States, as well as the UN Secretary General, calling her detention part of the "campaign of the Moldovan authorities to destroy the Gagauz autonomy." Representatives of the Moldovan prosecutor's office in response claim that the persecution of the head of Gagauzia is exclusively legal and has no political background. However, recent events suggest the opposite. On March 26, at the Chisinau airport, the head of the Chance party, Alexei Lungu, received a summons to the National Anti-Corruption Center, and on March 31, the opposition MP from the Victory bloc, Irina Lozova, was sentenced to six years in prison in the case of financing the Shor party.

Protests in Moldova

The pressure on the opposition caused protests not only in Gagauzia itself, but also in other regions of Moldova. The unrest in the country began on March 25 and continues to this day. The protesters even gathered at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow. However, citizens' discontent is not only related to the arrests of opposition politicians. On the same days, teachers, railway workers and farmers take to the streets to protest against low salaries and deteriorating working conditions.

Social tension in Moldova escalated in the winter, when gas and electricity prices rose sharply due to the termination of transit through Ukraine in the country. The rating of the ruling party began to fall, but instead of solving the problems of the population, Chisinau chose a line of pressure on the opposition.

An active appeal to the international community and the massive support of the population of Gagauzia can help in liberating the Hutsuls. There is no unity in Moldova regarding both domestic policy and foreign policy orientation, Vladimir Shapovalov, a political scientist and deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia.

— The population of Moldova is roughly equally divided between supporters of a pro-European orientation and the Romanization of Moldova, on the one hand, and supporters of normalization of relations with Russia, — the political scientist believes.

Relations between Chisinau and Gagauzia worsened after the Hutsul victory in the elections of the head of the autonomy. Not a single representative of the central government attended her inauguration on July 19, 2023. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has not yet signed a decree on the inclusion of the head of Gagauzia in the government, despite the requirements of the legislation.

The arbitrariness of the current Moldovan authorities, of course, may be a factor that will later play a role in the separation of Gagauzia from Moldova, Vladimir Shapovalov emphasized.

—The repressions contribute to strengthening the sentiments of the people of Gagauzia towards secession from Moldova," the expert said.

The political struggle in Moldova is escalating against the background of the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for 2025. The exact date of the vote has not yet been determined, but according to the law, it must take place between July and October.

Moldova is a parliamentary republic, and the results of these elections will determine the country's future course. According to an iData poll conducted in early 2025, the ruling Action and Solidarity (PAS) party is losing support: only 27.2% of voters are ready to vote for it, compared with 29.8% in December 2024.

A sharp drop in the government's rating, pressure on the opposition, and mass protests are making the situation in the country increasingly unstable. The question is whether Chisinau is ready to start a dialogue with the discontented or will choose the path of further repression.

In addition, a significant part of the population opposes the anti-Russian policy of Chisinau. The opposition, represented by the Victory Bloc, the Bloc of Communists and Socialists, as well as some other political forces, express this position of the voters.

At the end of March, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had declared three employees of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau persona non grata due to the fact that their activities allegedly contradict their diplomatic status. Moldova also joined the anti-Russian sanctions after the start of its military operation.