Latest news with #EvgeniaGutsul
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Police tear down opposition picket in post-Soviet capital (VIDEO)
Police have detained supporters of the political opposition in the Moldovan capital Chisinau after they attempted to hold a rally for jailed local Euroskeptic leader Evgenia Gutsul. Members of the youth wing of the opposition Victory bloc gathered at the city's railway station on Saturday morning, where they began setting up a tent camp. The unauthorized protest was aimed at calling for Gutsul's release and denounced what activists described as the 'lawlessness' of the authorities. Victory bloc has repeatedly been barred from running in elections, over alleged procedural violations. Footage from Ruptly showed security forces dismantling tents and removing people from the area; several were arrested. Local media have reported that police have also been stopping buses carrying protesters from reaching Chisinau for a wider anti-government protest scheduled for the rallies are a response to the sentencing of Gutsul, the elected leader of Gagauzia, an autonomous, predominantly Russian-speaking region in southern Moldova, to seven years in prison for alleged financial crimes. She rejected the charges as a politically motivated attempt to silence opposition ahead of September's parliamentary elections, calling the verdict 'a blow to democracy' and a threat to anyone challenging the country's pro-Western leadership. Gutsul has advocated for closer ties with Russia, in contrast to the pro-Western stance of Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Sandu has accelerated Moldova's EU and NATO accession efforts since she was first elected in 2020. However, her decisions have increasingly polarized Moldovans amid a backdrop of worsening economic prospects and a crackdown on dissent. Moscow has criticized Gutsul's verdict as an attack on democracy, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labelling it a 'culmination of repression by the Chisinau regime against the entire Gagauz autonomy.'
Russia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
High-profile Western lawyers to defend jailed Euroskeptic Moldovan politician
High-profile Western lawyers have joined the defense team of the jailed Euroskeptic head of Moldova's autonomous Gagauzia region, Evgenia Gutsul, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for alleged financial crimes that she claims are politically motivated. Paris-based law firm WJ Avocats and prominent Spanish lawyer Gonzalo Boye have been appointed to Gutsul's international defense team, according to a statement on Wednesday by WJ Avocats' founding partner William Julie. WJ Avocats specializes in international criminal defense and human rights, while Boye has taken on high-profile cases such as efforts to charge George W. Bush officials over the torture of prisoners at Guantanamo and the defense of former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont from extradition. They will work with Gutsul's local lawyers. Boye has called the case 'very worrying.' Gutsul was sentenced last week by a Chisinau court for allegedly financing the now-banned Euroskeptic SOR party – a charge she insists is part of a broader effort to silence dissent ahead of elections. She denounced the verdict as a politically motivated crackdown, calling it 'a blow to democracy' and a threat to anyone challenging the country's pro-Western leadership. Gutsul has led the predominantly Russian-speaking Gagauzia region since winning the 2023 election as the candidate from SOR, campaigning for closer ties with Russia in contrast to the pro-Western stance of President Maia Sandu's government. The party was banned the same year on allegations of illicit financing from abroad. Julie said Gutsul has faced political attacks since taking office, calling the case another attempt to 'silence and remove' her from politics. He said her international legal team will work to defend her 'fundamental rights and the rule of law.' Russia has condemned what it described as a crackdown by the Moldovan government on Gutsul, calling it an example of 'European anti-values in action' and a bid to pressure the opposition ahead of the country's September parliamentary election. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the ruling marked the 'culmination of repression by the Chisinau regime against the entire Gagauz autonomy.'
Russia Today
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Moldovan region rejects ruling against local Euroskeptic leader
The parliament of Gagauzia, Moldova's predominantly Russian-speaking autonomous territory, has rejected a court ruling against the regional leader, Evgenia Gutsul, calling it illegal and politically driven. Gutsul, who was elected in 2023 and has advocated for close ties with Russia, was found guilty on Tuesday and sentenced to seven years in jail. She was accused of channeling illegal funds from an organized criminal group to the banned Euroskeptic SOR party and of financing protests against the Moldovan government. Gutsul denied the charges, calling the process a 'political execution' conducted 'on orders from above.' The ruling triggered protests outside the courthouse against Moldova's pro-Western government. The Gagauzian parliament rallied behind Gutsul. In a resolution issued Thursday by Gagauzia's People's Assembly and Executive Committee, MPs said they 'categorically reject and do not recognize the verdict' of the Moldovan court. The document described the ruling as a 'politically motivated' attempt 'to eliminate the legally elected head of the autonomous region.' 'We consider this verdict a political reprisal, planned and executed from above,' the resolution said, adding that the ruling was 'an act of political vengeance' that 'undermines the autonomous region's legal status.' The Gagauzian authorities said Moldova's government bears 'full responsibility for the destabilization' of the situation in the region, while suggesting that the crackdown seeks to tip the scales ahead of the nationwide parliamentary elections slated for late September. Moscow criticized the verdict as an attack on democracy. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the ruling was labeled in both Moldova and Gagauzia as 'an act of revenge' and 'a fabricated case' without credible evidence. 'It became the culmination of repression by the Chisinau regime against the entire Gagauz autonomy,' she added.
Russia Today
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
UN urges ‘due process' for jailed Moldovan regional leader
Moldova must respect Evgenia Gutsul's right to appeal and ensure her 'a fair trial and due process,' the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) told RT on Thursday. Moscow has summoned an extraordinary UN Security Council meeting to address what it calls the persecution of the politician. Earlier this week, Gutsul was convicted of receiving illegal campaign funds from an organized criminal group and channeling them to the Euroskeptic SOR party, which was banned in Moldova in 2023. She was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 40 million Moldovan lei ($2.3 million). Her legal team has vowed to appeal the court's decision. 'We are aware of the decision in the case of Ms. Gutsul, but we do not have the details of the ruling. Her right to appeal the decision must be respected, as well as her rights to a fair trial and due process,' OHCHR spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told RT. Russia has called an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council over the Gutsul case. The meeting is scheduled to take place later on Thursday, according to Russia's permanent envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky. While the meeting will be convened behind closed doors, Polyansky and other Russian diplomats are expected to address the media afterward. Gutsul has served as the head of Gagauzia – an autonomous and predominantly Russian-speaking region in southern Moldova – since winning the 2023 election as the SOR party candidate, shortly before the party was outlawed in Moldova due to allegations of illicit foreign funding. Gutsul campaigned on promises of forging closer ties with Russia, in contrast to the pro-Western stance of President Maia Sandu's government. The parliament of Gagauzia has rejected the court ruling, stating that it still recognizes Gutsul as the head of the region. Gutsul has firmly denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly stating that the case against her was orchestrated as an attempt at political assassination.
Russia Today
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU candidate resorting to ‘political terrorism'
Moldovan opposition politician Ilan Shor has accused the government in Chisinau of resorting to 'political terrorism,' after a court sentenced Evgenia Gutsul, the Euroskeptic governor of the autonomous Gagauzia region, to seven years in prison. Gutsul was convicted on Tuesday of receiving funds from organized crime and funneling them into the now-banned SOR party, which was founded by Shor. Moldovan prosecutors alleged that the funds were illegally used to finance anti-government political activities. The SOR party had backed Gutsul's candidacy in the 2023 Gagauzian elections, prior to being outlawed. Shor is currently exiled and is based in Russia. 'This is not a fight when you are empty-headed and your opponent is armed with an assault rifle,' Shor said in an interview with Russian media on Wednesday 'I believe this is straight political terrorism.' Gutsul has denied any wrongdoing and called the court ruling 'a political execution, planned and carried out on orders from above.' The Russian government echoed this stance, accusing Moldova of political repression and further eroding the country's democratic institutions. Shor expressed hope that Gutsul's sentence could be overturned on appeal. He argued that if Gutsul were not an opposition politician, she would only have received the same kind of punishment for a much more serious crime such as murder. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has branded groups critical of her government as a threat to national sovereignty and has accused them of attempting to destabilize the country in favor of Moscow. Sandu's government seeks accession to the European Union and has claimed that a crackdown on the opposition is necessary to safeguard EU integration. Shor, however, argued that Sandu was acting on behalf of foreign interests, saying Western governments have 'privatized' Moldova and now treat it 'as just another colony' headed by a 'hired manager.' He said he hoped that 'in the immediate future we will topple this vile inhumane regime.'
