Cut-off measure: Why extended Hutsul's house arrest

The Chisinau court extended the house arrest of the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, for 30 days — until June 13. Bashkan's defense intends to appeal this decision, as there were no grounds for such a decision. At the same time, amid pressure on the opposition, protests are intensifying in Moldova: mass rallies took place during the May holidays. The government's tactics against opponents can only worsen the situation in the country before the parliamentary elections, experts believe.

The case against Evgenia Hutsul

Yevgenia Hutsul will remain under house arrest for another 30 days, until June 13. The defense insists on lifting the preventive measure.

— We will appeal this decision. It is absolutely illegal and there is no reason to extend the house arrest," said her lawyer Sergiu Moraru.

Earlier, Moraru stressed that the authorities may illegally extend the house arrest of Hutsuls due to the desire to appoint another head of the autonomy. According to the law, a new bashkan is approved if the current one does not fulfill his duties within 60 days.

Hutsul was detained at the Chisinau airport on March 25. She was accused of forgery of documents, violation of the procedure for managing the financial resources of election funds and illegal financing of election competitors. Bashkan was placed under arrest for 20 days. She was placed under house arrest for 30 days on April 9.

Chisinau's actions are quite expected, as it has been in conflict with the Comrat since the Hutsuls came to power in 2023. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has never met personally with the leader of the autonomy, and Bashkan has not joined the government of the republic, although it is required by law. There are no representatives of Gagauzia in the Moldovan parliament either.

The two leaders have polar views on Moldova's foreign policy. After becoming president in 2020, Maia Sandu began to adhere exclusively to a pro-European course. Hutsul, on the contrary, advocates strengthening ties with the Russian Federation. She is also supported by the population of Gagauzia, which in particular does not play into the hands of Sandu and the ruling Action and Solidarity party. In the last presidential election in 2024, less than 3% of the population voted for Sandu in the autonomy. And 95% of Gagauz residents opposed Moldova's accession to the EU in a referendum.

In parallel with Yevgenia Hutsul, other opposition politicians who advocate strengthening ties with Moscow have increasingly come under attack. At the end of March, the head of the Chance party, Alexei Lungu, received a summons to the national anti-corruption center. And then Irina Lozovan, a deputy of the Moldovan parliament from the Victory bloc, was sentenced to six years in prison, and her husband to five.

The hearing on the case of the Bashkan of Gagauzia, like all previous ones, was accompanied by a rally. Dozens of residents gathered near the courthouse with posters "Freedom of Hutsul."

Protests after the detention of Bashkan have repeatedly taken place in the autonomy. There were rallies outside Moldova in support of the Hutsuls: at the end of March, hundreds of citizens gathered at the republic's embassy in Moscow, protesting against the detention of Bashkan.

How will pressure on the opposition affect the situation in Moldova

Now, in general, rallies are held frequently in Moldova. For example, large-scale demonstrations were held on Labor Day in all major cities of the republic. In total, about 20 thousand people attended them. In Chisinau, the Party of Socialists organized a march of thousands, as Moldovans, in their opinion, were tired of the lawlessness in the country caused by the ruling party.

The Victory bloc organized May Day demonstrations and rallies in the largest cities of the republic — Balti, Orhei, Comrat.

During the May holidays and demonstrations, Moldovan police massively stopped minibuses with people who were traveling to May Day, said Alexei Lungu, leader of the Chance party.

For a long time, railway workers, farmers and teachers have been protesting in the republic. They are dissatisfied with low incomes, late payments, working conditions and the protracted economic crisis in the republic as a whole.

After moving away from Moscow, the country is experiencing an economic downturn due to the loss of cheap energy resources and profitable sales markets. Moldova started buying gas from European suppliers at higher prices, which triggered an energy crisis that led to an economic one. In April of this year alone, food prices in the republic increased by an average of 2%.

At the same time, the actions of the ruling party do not find support among the population — this is also shown by the figures: less than 35% of residents believe that the country is moving in the right direction, according to an opinion poll by the Institute of Marketing and Opinion Polls (IMAS). It was conducted from January 16 to February 1, and 1,130 respondents from 86 localities took part in it.

Meanwhile, the Moldovan authorities, instead of taking any actions that can contribute to improving the standard of living in the country, prefer to put pressure on those who do not support their course. Earlier, the parliament reported on the preparation of a bill that would limit the right of citizens to protest. According to the document, public actions may be banned at the request of the authorities if they pose a security threat or call for illegal actions. However, it is not explained which actions pose a security threat.

The Action and Solidarity Party is now following absolutely predictable and predictable routes towards the opposition, according to HSE analyst Nicole Bodisteanu.

"The main motive of the authorities is to try to split the opposition, intimidate it in order to approach the elections in the most consolidated form and guarantee themselves the largest number of votes in the upcoming parliamentary vote," she explained to Izvestia.

However, by increasing pressure on the opposition, the authorities are losing even more popular support in the run-up to the elections. Now there are protests in the republic, but so far they are not particularly massive. However, such obvious pressure on political opponents will provoke increased protest activity, the expert believes. Parliamentary elections in Moldova are scheduled for September 28.