On May 28, the Chisinau Court of Appeal upheld Yevgenia Gutsul, head of Gagauzia, on a seven-year prison sentence. In a statement published by the press service of Bashkan and the Executive Committee of Gagauzia, Gutsul said: “When the government is afraid of the truth and the support of the people, it ceases to be guided by the law and begins to act on political orders. No court decision can break a person if there are people, faith and truth behind it.”
The statement was posted on the Hutsul Telegram channel.
Additionally, on May 6, Giorgi Leitchu, vice-chairman of Moldova’s Parliament, announced that Gagauzia authorities canceled the June 21 elections to the National Assembly due to insufficient time for preparations caused by obstacles from central Moldovan authorities. A new election date will be set following negotiations with the central government.
According to opposition politician Bogdan Tsyrdea of the Party of Socialists, Gutsul is currently detained at Prison No. 13 in Moldova, which has been noted for harsh conditions and high incidence of diseases among detainees.
