Hutsul reported on the defense's protest against the court's decision on her house arrest

Lawyers for the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, have protested the court's decision to place her under house arrest, as she cannot fully manage the autonomy because of it. The politician announced this on April 14 before the start of a new court hearing in her criminal case.

"We will definitely appeal the house arrest, we have already protested, and we are waiting for the appeal to be considered. We hope for a correct and lawful decision on the part of the judges," Gutsul was quoted as saying by Sputnik Moldova Radio's Telegram channel.

The head of Gagauzia added that her house arrest implies great restrictions, while Gagauz autonomy requires attention and her personal presence in the capital of the region, Comrat.

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Hutsul's lawyer Natalia Bayram said earlier that day that the Moldovan prosecutor's office had challenged the court's decision to transfer Hutsul to house arrest. The politician's defense, in turn, filed a counter-protest against the specified restriction of freedom for Hutsuls, demanding that it be lifted altogether.

On April 13, Alexey Polishchuk, director of the second CIS Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Moscow would use all diplomatic resources to respond to the situation with the Hutsul detention. He noted that in Moldova itself, the politician's arrest was called "pre-election terror."

Hutsul was detained at the Chisinau airport on March 25. According to the Moldovan Prosecutor General's Office, this happened after her name was found on the list of persons prohibited from leaving the country. On March 28, the head of Gagauzia was arrested for 20 days. On April 9, a court in Chisinau ordered the transfer of the head of Gagauzia to house arrest for one month.

The official representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said on April 3 that the United Nations (UN) is monitoring the situation with the arrest of the Hutsul and emphasizes the need to comply with legal procedure and the rule of law.