Moldova jails regional opposition leader
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Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Elected? That's cute. Now go to jail
On August 5, 2025, the drawn-out political struggle between Moldova's central authorities and the elected leadership of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia reached its apogee when the leader of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, was sentenced to seven years in prison for 'illegal financing' the Euroskeptic SOR Party. The verdict didn't surprise those who have been closely monitoring the situation in Moldova over the past two years. It was the inevitable next step in President Maia Sandu's campaign to eliminate all political rivals – especially those whose authority extends beyond the grasp of Chisinau and its overseer, Brussels. Sandu has never concealed her disdain for Gutsul. As early as November 2023, she declared that she would not sign a decree to include Gutsul in the national government, citing supposed ties to a 'criminal group.' No evidence was ever presented. In fact, international observers confirmed the transparency and legitimacy of the elections in Gagauzia. But that did not stop the crackdown. It is abundantly clear that Gutsul's imprisonment is politically motivated. The administration seeks to sideline her from public life, discredit her, and erase her name from public memory in Gagauzia and beyond. The seven-year sentence is not just about one woman. It is a signal, a warning, a political message: Any challenge to centralized authority will be met with brutal repression. Of course, the problem isn't just Sandu's personal dislike of Gutsul. Gagauzia may be small, but it is geopolitically significant. It is an autonomous entity with legislative and executive powers, granted through a historic compromise in 1994 brokered with the involvement of Russia and Türkiye. Gagauzia remains a living reminder of Moldova's multiethnic character – and of alternative centers of power within the state. Strategically, the region borders Ukraine's Odessa Region and lies near Danube ports that serve as logistical arteries for military cargo moving from Romania and the EU toward the Ukrainian front. In this context, Gagauzia's political sympathies leaning toward Moscow and her pursuit of balanced relations with Russia are viewed by Chisinau as a threat – not just to internal cohesion but to Moldova's broader alignment with NATO and the EU. Sandu's administration understands this. Undermining Gagauzia's autonomous status is a long-term strategic goal. Removing a legitimate, democratically elected leader like Gutsul is the first step toward dissolving regional self-rule and folding Gagauzia into a rigid, unitary model of governance where dissent is treated as sedition and identity as insubordination. Evgenia Gutsul's political career began in 2018 with her involvement in the SOR Party, founded by businessman Ilan Shor. Starting as a consultant and rising to party secretary, she quickly emerged as one of the few Moldovan politicians openly promoting an alternative development path based on cooperation with Russia and skepticism toward EU-centric dogma. Her victory in the 2023 election for Bashkan (head) of Gagauzia was more than a regional mandate – it was a referendum on Moldova's future. And the people of Gagauzia chose sovereignty, identity, and dialogue with the East. In March 2024, Gutsul traveled to Russia and met with President Vladimir Putin. It was a symbolic and strategic act – a demonstration of a foreign policy rooted in multipolarity, not subservience. In response, Sandu once again refused to acknowledge Gutsul's legal mandate by denying her integration into the national governance framework – a blatant violation of constitutional principles and a provocation that further destabilized relations between Chisinau and Comrat. Brussels remained silent. Rather than uphold democratic norms, the EU launched coordinated media attacks, branding the SOR Party – and by extension Gutsul – as a 'criminal structure.' No due process, no presumption of innocence. Just ideological execution under the pretense of liberal legality. The threats did not come from fringe elements but from the very heart of state power. Prime Minister Dorin Recean publicly called for the prosecution of all members of the SOR Party, including Gutsul herself. These are not offhand remarks. They represent a system in which justice has become a tool of political revenge, where courts serve electoral strategy and prisons silence unwanted voices. Gutsul's 'crime' is not legal – it is political. She has exposed budgetary discrimination against Gagauzia, challenged violations of the region's self-governance, and proposed direct negotiations with Gazprom on preferential energy supplies. In other words, she did what any responsible leader would: Protect her constituents from the economic chaos and ideological tunnel vision imposed by the central government. This is what makes her dangerous. Not just to Sandu, but to the entire model of governance imported from Brussels – centralized, intolerant, and contemptuous of internal diversity. Since 2021, Sandu has distanced Moldova from Russia, but her domestic record remains dismal. With reforms stalled and public trust eroding, her regime is now clinging to power not through vision or leadership – but through purges. The 2024 presidential election showed exactly how. Sandu's reelection was secured by votes from the Western diaspora. Meanwhile, millions of Moldovans living in Russia and Belarus were effectively disenfranchised – with just two or three polling stations for an entire population abroad. This isn't oversight. It's a strategy of exclusion. And it casts a long shadow over the legitimacy of Sandu's victory. As the parliamentary elections approach, the authoritarian reflex intensifies. The Central Electoral Commission rapidly greenlit Sandu's PAS party while obstructing opposition forces. Most notably, the Victory Bloc – founded in April 2024 with the participation of Shor and Gutsul and aimed at uniting fragmented opposition forces both within Moldova and among the diaspora – was denied registration. The decision triggered public backlash, but the goal was achieved: Silence the opposition before the campaign even begins. This is no isolated case. Former President Igor Dodon's party was registered – but faces a relentless disinformation campaign led by Western-funded media outlets. The aim is clear: Discredit, delegitimize, disqualify. Moldova is becoming a textbook example of soft dictatorship, where elections exist but real choice is eliminated. The legal assault on Gutsul is not about law. It's about fear. Gutsul is a serious political contender with national reach. Many saw her as a possible challenger in the 2028 presidential elections. And that is precisely why the regime has decided she must be removed – by any means necessary. Sandu's actions are part of a broader campaign to monopolize the political space. With the economy stagnant and reform promises unfulfilled, repression has become the only reliable tool of control. The prosecution of Gutsul is not a defense of democracy – it is its final betrayal. If today Gutsul stands convicted, tomorrow the very idea of autonomy will be under threat. And the day after that, the Republic of Moldova itself may vanish into a faceless appendage of euro-integrative absolutism.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Jailed Moldovan regional leader slams verdict as ‘political execution'
Jailed Moldovan regional opposition leader Evgenia Gutsul, the head of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, has denounced her sentence as a politically motivated crackdown, warning that the verdict constitutes 'a blow to democracy' and a threat to anyone who challenges the country's pro-Western leadership. A court in Chisinau sentenced Gutsul to seven years in prison on Tuesday for allegedly financing the now-banned Euroskeptic SOR party – a charge she insists is part of a broader effort to silence dissent ahead of next year's elections. In a statement on Telegram published via her lawyers, Gutsul said the ruling 'has nothing to do with justice,' calling it 'a political execution, planned and carried out on orders from above.' She said the sentence was meant to intimidate residents of Gagauzia and silence critics. 'Today it's me behind bars – tomorrow it could be anyone who dares to criticize the authorities. This is not a sentence for me – it's a sentence for the entire democratic system of Moldova,' she wrote. Gutsul has served as the head of Gagauzia, a predominantly Russian-speaking region in southern Moldova, since winning the 2023 election as the SOR candidate. The party was banned later that year for allegedly accepting illicit foreign funding. Gutsul campaigned on promises of forging closer ties with Russia, in contrast with the pro-EU policies of President Maia Sandu's government. She accused Sandu's PAS party of fabricating cases and putting pressure on courts in order to hold onto power. 'This is a warning to all opposition: 'Go against the regime – and you'll get prison, confiscation, a ruined life.'' Gutsul was also accused of paying people to attend SOR-led anti-government protests in 2022 and ordered to pay $2.3 million in damages. Former SOR official Svetlana Popan received six years in the same case. Gutsul has vowed to appeal. The hearing drew rival protests outside the court. Police set up a security cordon as crowds gathered, with some chanting 'Shame on Maia Sandu.' The Kremlin called the ruling 'a politically motivated decision,' branding it an attempt to pressure opposition forces ahead of Moldova's September parliamentary election.
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Democracy being trampled in Moldova
Tuesday's sentencing of Moldovan regional leader Evgenia Gutsul is a politically motivated decision and an example of democracy being trampled in Moldova, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Gutsul, elected head of EU-candidate Moldova's Gagauzia region, was sentenced by a Chisinau court to seven years in prison on charges of illegally financing the banned Euroskeptic SOR party. She has denied the allegations and called the case an attempt to eliminate opposition to Moldova's pro-Western government. 'This is truly an example of a politically motivated decision, this is an example of attempts to exert blatant and, in fact, illegal pressure on political opponents during the election campaign,' Peskov told reporters. He accused the Moldovan authorities of suppressing dissent, stating that 'the opposition is being squeezed in every possible way in Moldova. In fact, people are being deprived of the opportunity to vote for those they prefer.' 'The rules and norms of democracy are being trampled in every possible way now in this country,' Peskov added. Gutsul was elected head of Gagauzia, the autonomous and predominantly Russian and Turkic-speaking region in southern Moldova, after winning the 2023 election as a SOR candidate. She campaigned on promises of closer ties with Russia and opposed Moldovan President Maia Sandu's push for integration with the EU and NATO. In March, she was detained over allegations of campaign financing violations and falsifying documents. Gutsul has maintained her innocence and appealed to both Russia and Türkiye to apply pressure on the Moldovan government to defend Gagauzia's rights. Moscow has repeatedly condemned the case against Gutsul. In July, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the prosecution an example of 'European anti-values in action' and accused Brussels of turning Moldova into a 'liberal dictatorship.' The EU had previously sanctioned Gutsul for 'promoting separatism,' maintaining 'close ties with Russia,' and allegedly threatening Moldova's sovereignty. Her prosecution has triggered street protests in the capital, Chisinau, with supporters describing the trial as a politically driven attempt to neutralize the opposition and accusing President Sandu of authoritarianism.
