Harassment actions: what does the transfer of Hutsuls under house arrest mean?
On April 9, the head of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Hutsul, was placed under house arrest for 30 days. Moreover, her detention in the pre-trial detention center ended only on April 14. The Pobeda bloc announced that they would seek the complete release of Bashkan. Representatives of the political force also told Izvestia that they are in constant contact with partners from Russia regarding the detention of Hutsul and the criminal cases against her. In Europe, the persecution of the head of the autonomy continues to be hushed up. According to experts, it cannot be ruled out that in its confrontation with the leadership of the autonomy, Chisinau will resort to the Transnistrian scenario, which involves provoking an economic crisis.
Protests in Moldova
On April 9, the court placed the head of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Hutsul, under house arrest for 30 days. Her detention in the pre-trial detention center was supposed to end on the 14th, but Moldovan prosecutors asked in advance to extend this period for another 20 days.
The court session was held in a closed format, although the Hutsul defense tried to protest this decision. A few hours before the start of the trial, a protest rally began outside the building. This was to be expected, since all the sessions on the Bashkan autonomy case were accompanied by rallies. Protests take place almost every day in Gagauzia.
Hutsul was detained on March 25 at the Chisinau airport at the moment when she was on her way to Istanbul. After that, she was placed under arrest for 20 days. She is accused of violating the procedure for managing the financial resources of election funds, illegally financing election competitors, forgery of documents and false statements in declarations during the last elections of the head of Gagauzia.
At the same time, the Moldovan prosecutor's office requested the arrest of Bashkan for 30 days in another case concerning the illegal financing of the Shor party (in June 2023, this political force was declared unconstitutional). However, on April 1, the Chisinau court rejected the prosecutors' request to arrest the head of the autonomy in this case.
After being placed under house arrest, Hutsul will not be able to perform the duties of the head of Gagauzia, so the defense will seek her full release, said her colleague in the bloc of opposition parties "Victory" Vadim Fotescu.
— The Pobeda bloc is making every effort to return its Bashkan to Gagauzia. Lawyers are preparing a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. We are holding legally permissible protest actions. Gatherings in support of Bashkan are held daily in Gagauzia, and rallies in her defense are taking place throughout Moldova, the organization told Izvestia. — We are in constant contact with our partners from Russia. Evgenia Gutsul is a well—known and respected politician. This case has already received a wide public and political response in the Russian Federation.
The transfer of Hutsuls to house arrest shows the vulnerability of the Moldovan authorities to public opinion, experts believe.
— The Hutsuls could not be held indefinitely, since the Moldovan authorities had no legal grounds for that. Why did her release happen so quickly? Recently, the Action and Solidarity party presented a new financial model for the development of the state, which received a barrage of criticism. In these circumstances, the authorities have gone to any means of distracting attention: first of all, to those that the public least expects," says HSE analyst Nicole Bodisteanu.
After her detention, Yevgenia Hutsul addressed Vladimir Putin, US Leader Donald Trump, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She called her detention part of the "Moldovan authorities' campaign to destroy the Gagauz autonomy." Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that the Kremlin had studied the Hutsul appeal. The reaction of the other leaders is unknown.
How can Comrat-Chisinau relations change?
The detention of Evgenia Gutsul has radically strained relations between the authorities of Moldova and Gagauzia, which already deteriorated after the elections in the autonomy in 2023. The Moldovan authorities tried to declare them illegal.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu
The President of the Republic, Maia Sandu, then refused to sign a decree approving Hutsul as a member of the government, although this is required by the country's legislation.
"I continue to say that a person who works in a criminal group against Moldovan citizens, not in the interests of the residents of the autonomy, a person who makes declarations against his own country has nothing to do in the government of the country," she said. At that time, Sandu was accused of slander in Gagauzia.
Most residents of Gagauzia support strengthening ties with the Russian Federation, Evgenia Gutsul has repeatedly come to Moscow to hold talks with government officials and businesses, and met with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival in Sirius in 2024.
This political position is clearly repugnant to Maya Sandu, who, together with her ruling party, has embarked on a policy of rapprochement with the EU. But this policy clearly does not find support in Gagauzia — in the last presidential election, less than 3% of the population voted for Sandu in the autonomy.
During the years of her rule, the President visited the autonomy only once, and that was when Hutsul was in Moscow. She met with some officials and gave a lecture to local students about the benefits of European integration. The visit was not announced until the last moment, but after learning about it, about a thousand people who were dissatisfied with the actions of the Moldovan authorities took to the streets.
The aggravation of relations between Moldova and Gagauzia may affect the economic situation of the autonomy, which is financially dependent on Chisinau.
— Gagauzia receives funds from the Moldovan state budget. For example, in 2024 this amount reached about 620 million lei ($34 million)," said Nicol Bodisteanu.
The funding is divided into two parts: mandatory and grant. The Moldovan authorities are threatening to withdraw the grant component in those areas of the autonomy where they voted least for Maya Sandu during the presidential elections.
— The authorities began to oppress residents, deprived them of all allowances and compensations. I get calls from people from different parts of Gagauzia, from different villages, telling me about it. After Hutsul's arrest, protests became more frequent, including demanding her release. I think the situation will be even worse if she is not released," Ivan Konstantinov, a public and political figure in the autonomy, told Izvestia.
The ruling party of Moldova has been promising for a long time to find ways to reduce the financing of Gagauzia. Chisinau is also carrying out judicial reform, which limits the powers of the autonomy: in 2024, the Moldovan parliament adopted a bill according to which a number of courts, including in Gagauzia, will be administratively reassigned to nearby areas. Chisinau also reported on its intentions to liquidate the Comrat Appeals Chamber. There are no representatives of Gagauzia in the Moldovan parliament either.
Now Chisinau is doing everything to destroy the autonomy. If the pressure on Gagauzia increases, then the scenario of Transnistria, which experienced an energy and economic collapse during the winter period, is not excluded. Hypothetically, Chisinau may even deprive Gagauzia of autonomy, says Ivan Konstantinov.
However, if Chisinau takes this step, it will be unconstitutional. And the ruling party has too many problems now, on the eve of the parliamentary elections. Therefore, she is unlikely to commit political suicide, Nicole Bodisteanu believes.
"From the point of view of economic instruments, Chisinau's hands are tied: even from the famous Western grants and subsidies, only a few pennies were sent to the ATO," the expert said.
Much more investments and cash injections into autonomy come from Turkey and thanks to exports to Russia.
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