MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. International human rights organizations cannot turn a blind eye to the miscarriage of justice purported against head of Gagauzia Evghenia Gutsul by Chisinau and are obliged to give it an objective assessment, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said commenting on Gutsul's sentencing to seven years in prison today.
"Violation of human rights, disregard for the rule of law and rejection of political pluralism are the main tenets of the police state that Moldova has become under the current regime. The criminal prosecution of the dissenters and the sentencing of them has become the ‘calling card’ of the Moldovan authorities. International human rights organizations cannot ignore this latest act of lawlessness by the Chisinau regime and are obliged to give it an objective assessment," the diplomat noted.
"In Moldova and Gagauzia, this high-profile verdict has already been called an ‘act of revenge’, a ‘public political massacre’ and a ‘fabricated case’ that lacks any substantial evidence. It’s the culmination of a campaign of repression by the Chisinau regime against the entire Gagauz autonomy," the diplomat said.
"Its head, Evghenia Gutsul, who was elected in 2023, was never included in the republican government, contrary to what the law prescribes. In April, Gagauzia was deprived of the right to appoint a prosecutor of the autonomy by the decision of the Constitutional Court of Moldova. These actions run counter to the 1994 Law of the Republic of Moldova on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia, aimed at eroding its autonomy and subordination to the central authorities."
