CHISINAU, August 5. /TASS/. Head of the Gagauz Autonomy Evghenia Gutsul sees the seven-year sentence handed down to her by today’s court decision as politically driven.
"This decision has nothing to do with justice. This is political persecution, plotted and executed according to orders from higher authorities. <...> This is an attempt to intimidate the residents of Gagauzia who dare to vote against the ruling party’s wishes," Gutsul noted in a statement published by her press service.
The Gagauz leader added that Moldovan President Maia Sandu and the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity are repressing dissent in any form. "On the eve of parliamentary elections, their methods are easy to see - cooked-up charges, pressure on judges, politicized verdicts. All of this is done with one goal in mind - to hold on to power at any cost," the statement reads.
Earlier, a court in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau sentenced Gutsul to seven years in prison for financial irregularities related to the funding of the Shor opposition party.
Gutsul’s relations with the Moldovan leadership deteriorated in 2023 after she won the regional election, announced plans to boost friendly relations with Russia and criticized Chisinau’s policy of confrontation with Moscow. The country’s authorities tried to declare the election illegal but Gagauzia’s parliament expressed solidarity with Gutsul and several rallies in support of the region’s leader took place there. Still, Sandu refused to sign a decree appointing Gutsul as a cabinet member, which is required by the country’s laws.