To attract understanding: Hutsul's defense filed a complaint with the ECHR over her arrest

The defense of the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Evgenia Hutsul, filed a complaint with the ECHR regarding her arrest in March 2025. There has been no reaction from the organization yet. The lawyers also intend to send a second appeal to Strasbourg regarding the illegal sentence, but after passing through all instances within the country. At the same time, the sessions of the Appeals Chamber to appeal the verdict have been suspended for the time being and will resume no earlier than mid-December. Hutsul is being held in solitary confinement in a pre-trial detention center, and conditions there negatively affect her health. Meanwhile, the political crisis in Gagauzia is getting worse. Although the new Prime Minister of Moldova, Alexander Munteanu, hints at the possibility of normalizing the dialogue and plans to visit the autonomy.

Hutsul's defense filed a complaint with the ECHR

The defense of the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Evgenia Hutsul, filed an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights regarding her arrest in March 2025.

— Our international colleagues have already prepared a complaint about the illegal arrest and submitted it to the ECHR. There has been no reaction so far, but it's too early to talk about it," Hutsul's lawyer Natalia Bayram told Izvestia.

The defense also intends to file another lawsuit with the ECHR due to the unjustified sentence of Bashkan, since it does not see an opportunity to defend her rights in a Moldovan court. However, according to the law, this complaint can be filed only after passing through all the instances within the republic.

Hutsul was detained on March 25 at the Chisinau airport. From that date, she was in jail, and from April 9 until sentencing, she was under house arrest. In August, she was sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly illegally financing political parties. The defense has repeatedly stated Bashkan's innocence.

After the verdict was announced, the sessions of the Appeals Chamber began. At the same time, Hutsuls are allowed on them exclusively online. The defense filed several petitions, including a demand to ensure Bashkan's personal presence at the meetings, but all requests were rejected without detailed explanations.

On October 20, Hutsul, speaking via video link, called the course of the trial "an imitation of a trial."

Now the meetings of the Appeals Chamber have been suspended altogether.

— The judge dealing with the case of Evgenia Gutsul has not passed the vetting procedure for external verification of judges for their financial integrity. At the moment, a new judge has not yet been appointed. I think the meetings will continue sometime in mid-December," Natalia Bayram clarified.

Yevgenia Hutsul is currently being held in SIZO No. 13. It is one of the strictest institutions of the Moldovan penitentiary system. The cell where the politician is located is cramped, with limited access to fresh air — and this is difficult for a woman with chronic illnesses, the lawyers said earlier.

— Hutsul is in total isolation, in solitary confinement. Of course, for a woman, for a mother who has been separated from her children, husband, and family, these are unbearable conditions. And I can't talk about her normal or well-being condition. All this has a very negative effect on her health," Bayram told Izvestia.

Public opinion: Hutsul lawyers have filed a complaint with the UN

The preparation of an appeal to the ECHR is also ongoing.

Political crisis inside Moldova

Relations between the central authorities of Moldova and Gagauzia have reached one of the lowest points in recent years. The escalation occurred after Hutsul became the head of the autonomy in 2023. The President of Moldova, Maya Sandu, did not like Bashkan's policy of strengthening relations with Moscow, after which she stated that the elections in the autonomy did not comply with democratic principles.

In Comrat, the Hutsul verdict was perceived as a political massacre.: The People's Assembly of Gagauzia (NSG) declared the verdict "illegal on the territory of Gagauzia," and protests began in the region.

Chisinau, in turn, accuses the autonomy's leadership of separatism and carrying out allegedly "external instructions," hinting at Comrat's ties with Moscow and the Pobeda opposition bloc.

In October 2025, the ruling Action and Solidarity party initiated a bill on the temporary suspension of certain powers of the Bashkan in the event of a "threat to national security." According to the document, this is possible by decision of the Supreme Security Council in the presence of "proven risks of destabilization." Among the proposed measures is the possibility of transferring to Chisinau control over the elections to the National Assembly of Gagauzia and the right to appoint a temporary administrator. De facto, this can be seen as an attempt to eliminate the autonomous status of the region.

Moreover, since 2024, Chisinau has reduced the budget financing of the autonomy. There are also threats about the complete deprivation of the autonomy of subsidies.

At the end of September, parliamentary elections were held in Moldova, which were won by the ruling party. Alexandre Munteanu became the new prime minister, who, after taking office, spoke of his intention to normalize relations with Comrat. According to media reports, Munteanu wants to visit Gagauzia before the end of the year to "talk to the residents" and discuss ways of interaction. He did not specify the details of the meeting, whether it would be an audience with the National Assembly or informal meetings with local residents.

Nevertheless, experts are sure that it is definitely not worth waiting for a breakthrough in relations between Chisinau and Comrat.

— The situation around Evgenia Hutsul will not change in the near future. Relations between Chisinau and Comrat will develop along the same trajectory. Chisinau will take away powers from Gagauzia and gradually make it final," political analyst Oleg Bondarenko believes.

For autonomy, the situation is indeed becoming more and more alarming, says HSE analyst Nicole Bodisteanu. Gagauzia is currently experiencing a political crisis. On November 14, Dmitry Konstantinov, speaker of the autonomy's parliament, announced his resignation.

"In November 2025, the powers of the deputies of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia also expired, and the issues of forming the election commission and holding elections remain open," Bodisteanu noted.

The issue of holding elections to the National Assembly has been suspended since about August 2025. The results of the voting in Gagauzia are approved by the Comrat Court of Appeal, but the Moldovan authorities have eliminated it. Comrat asked Chisinau to restore the structure, but there was no reaction. Moreover, there is also no CEC in the autonomy now, the appointment of a new commission was blocked by Chisinau. This makes it de facto impossible to hold elections in 2025. This is, apparently, another step aimed at depriving Gagauzia of autonomy.