Public opinion: Hutsul lawyers have filed a complaint with the UN

The defense of the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, filed a complaint with the UN over violations of the rights of her lawyer, Sergei Moraru. Earlier, the Moldovan authorities severely limited his powers after he claimed the court was biased. Hutsul's lawyers are also preparing an appeal on the Bashkan case itself to the UN Human Rights Committee and the ECHR. Meetings of the Appeals Chamber are currently taking place in Moldova.: they will last until November 6th. However, most likely, the Bashkan case will be delayed, experts tell Izvestia. Chisinau's actions are supported as much as possible in Brussels. Whether, in general, we should expect an international reaction to the Hutsul case and what other actions her defense intends to take — in the Izvestia article.

What is Yevgenia Hutsul accused of?

Meetings of the Appeals Chamber in the case of the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, are taking place in Moldova. They will last until November 6th. However, Chisinau is trying in every way to hinder the work of her lawyers. Bashkan's defense filed an appeal to the UN over the violation of Sergei Moraru's rights, Kamil Gosson, a lawyer at the WJ Avocats bureau and a member of the Hutsul defense team, told Izvestia.

— At the moment, Evgenia Gutsul's international legal group is working on filing complaints with the UN structures. One complaint has already been filed with the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, in order to claim a violation of the rights of her lawyer Sergiu Moraru, who is being persecuted only for representing her interests in Moldova, the lawyer told Izvestia.

Earlier statements by lawyer Sergei Moraru provoked a sharp reaction from the Moldovan authorities. After he publicly accused the judge of the first instance that the Hutsul verdict "was written not in the courtroom, but in the offices of the authorities," the prosecutor's office filed a complaint against him. As a result, the lawyer was suspended from some meetings.

Moraru had previously repeatedly stated about systemic violations in the Bashkan case: ignoring the evidence of the defense, lack of access by lawyers to the accused. "The Appeals Chamber continues the tradition of the lower instance: judges violate all possible rights, leaving lawyers unaware of the meeting plans," he said in October.

Evgenia Gutsul was detained on March 25 at the Chisinau airport. She was accused of forgery of documents, violation of the procedure for managing election funds and illegal financing of the opposition in the elections. Bashkan was later placed under house arrest. Hutsul and her defense have repeatedly denied all charges, emphasizing that the current Moldovan authorities are behind the trial, with which the head of Gagauzia has a long-term conflict.

The court handed down the verdict in August 2025: seven years in a semi-closed penal colony. Hutsul was officially accused of allegedly financing the illegal opposition party Shor, which is recognized in Moldova. The term, however, was milder than the requirements of the prosecutor's office, which requested nine years. We emphasize that the final decision was made in just eight minutes without taking into account the procedural rules.

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How will Brussels and Chisinau react to this and should we expect the release of the head of Gagauzia?

Immediately after the verdict was announced, Bashkan's lawyers filed an appeal, which began in October. The Hutsul case also attracted the attention of international lawyers William Julie and Gonzalo Boye, who, among others, defended the defendant.

The sessions of the Appeals Chamber were repeatedly postponed on the initiative of the court. The lawyers are sure that the authorities are deliberately delaying the process. In addition, Evgenia Hutsul is allowed to attend meetings only via online communication, which also complicates their conduct.

Hutsul became the head of the autonomy in 2023. Her policy of strengthening ties with Russia, as well as high support among the population of Gagauzia, ran counter to the policy of Chisinau. Since Maia Sandu came to power, they have begun to adhere to a radical course towards European integration. Chisinau did not recognize the Hutsul victory in Gagauzia: Sandu refused to include her in the government, despite the fact that this violated constitutional norms.

However, the population of Gagauzia is also actively undermining the position of the current authorities: less than 3% of residents of the autonomy voted for Maya Sandu in the presidential elections in 2024. And 95% opposed Moldova's accession to the EU.

International reaction to the Hutsul case

Yevgenia Hutsul's lawyers are currently preparing an appeal to the UN Human Rights Committee. As Camille Gosson explained, this is necessary to "point out violations of Evgenia Hutsul's political rights, both her personal and her rights as Bashkan of Gagauzia." An appeal to the UN Working Group on arbitrary detention is also being prepared.

A complaint will also be sent to the European Court of Human Rights, but after the Appeals Chamber issues a final verdict.

"Most likely, it will be unfavorable for Evgenia Hutsul, given the behavior of the judges at the hearings, which we have observed from the very beginning, as well as events during the pre—trial investigation and the decision of the court of first instance," says Gosson.

In Russia, the court's decision was criticized in August. "The Sandu regime throws people into prisons for complying with the law. This is not just a disgrace, it is an attack, a disaster that has attacked Moldova and its people," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed.

But the reaction from international structures has been rather meager all this time. In August 2025, the official representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Tamin Al-Kitan, only stated that the rights of Hutsuls to a fair trial and appeal against the verdict should be respected.

Bashkan's defense suggests that the trial will be delayed again. However, if the courts resort excessively to such tactics, the defense will appeal to the ECHR before making a final decision.

"In addition, we have also appealed to the Appeals Chamber with a request to send a (preliminary) request to the ECHR on several issues, but so far we have not received a response from the court," the lawyer added.

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There are unlikely to be any updates on the Hutsul case in the coming year, experts tell Izvestia.

— Now it is important for the ruling party and their Brussels partners to form a stable government and gain a foothold in power. Any relaxation in the Hutsul case will be more likely a sign of weakness, so we should not hope that the Moldovan authorities will take this step yet," said HSE analyst Nicole Bodisteanu.

However, one should not expect a reaction from Europe either.

— The detention of Hutsuls is a contract case, which, of course, was coordinated by Maya Sandu with Brussels. And in this sense, it has received the support of Europe. Unfortunately, one can hardly count on Brussels' reaction to the Bashkan case," political analyst Oleg Bondarenko told Izvestia.

Obviously, Brussels is not particularly interested in the release of Yevgenia Hutsul, as well as all those who do not support the pro-European course of the current Moldovan authorities.