MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. The authorities of Moldova are persecuting any political opponents who advocate for building the country’s relations with Russia, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
"Moldova’s current government decided to take the path of forcibly repressing political opponents, who enjoy significant support from the country's population," Peskov said.
"All political forces advocating for the development of relations between Moldova and Russia are now in fact subjected to unlawful persecution," Peskov noted in regard to the recent detention of the head of Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia, Evghenia Gutsul.
Detention of Gagauzia head Gutsul
Moldova's National Anti-Corruption Center said the day before that prosecutors would charge Gutsul and ask the court to detain her.
Gutsul was arrested at Chisinau airport on March 25, despite numerous business trips to Russia, Turkey, and other countries.·Last year, prosecutors accused Gutsul of involvement in financial mismanagement in the Gagauzia elections, allegedly committed by the Shor party.
After the election of the head of the autonomy, the party was outlawed by a decision of the Moldovan Constitutional Court, and criminal proceedings were initiated against its leaders. Gutsul calls the charges fabricated and says that President Maia Sandu is behind them.
The detention of the Gagauzia leader was condemned by all opposition parties in the country's parliament, which is controlled by the pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity.