Companions congratulated the head of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul on her 40th anniversary in prison

The court of first instance sentenced the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, to seven years in prison on charges of financing the Shor party, banned in Moldova.

The Court of Appeal of Chisinau upheld Gutsul's sentence; the defense appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of Justice.

Hutsul's comrades in the Pobeda opposition bloc congratulated her on her 40th birthday and expressed hope for her speedy release.

CHISINAU, September 5 – RIA Novosti. The head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, is celebrating her 40th birthday in prison on a fabricated case, her comrades in the opposition Pobeda bloc said, wishing the head of the region health and a speedy return home.

In August 2025, the court of first instance sentenced Gutsul to seven years in prison; she was accused of allegedly financing the Shor party, now banned in Moldova. On May 28, the Chisinau Court of Appeal upheld this verdict. The defense appealed this decision to the Supreme Court of Justice, and Hutsul herself has repeatedly stated that she considers the criminal case to be politically motivated. The opposition in Moldova accuses the ruling Action and Solidarity party, whose unofficial leader is Moldovan President Maia Sandu, of political pressure on the Gagauz autonomy.

“On September 5, Evgenia Gutsul, the elected Bashkan (head – ed.) of Gagauzia, celebrates her 40th anniversary. For more than a year she has been imprisoned on a trumped-up case - far from her children, family, relatives and her land. She is deprived of the opportunity to personally participate in the great activity for the development of autonomy that she launched together with our team. But her projects continue to work for the benefit of the residents of Gagauzia and benefit the residents,” the bloc said in a statement.

The report notes that if you ask residents of the autonomy what Evgenia Hutsul is like, they will answer that she is open, energetic, caring, brave, able to hear people and always defends their interests.

“They will tell you that she has a real Gagauz character - freedom-loving and persistent, with an inner core. This is how she is known in Gagauzia, throughout the country and far beyond its borders. And Evgenia Alexandrovna remains just as strong and brave now, despite all the trials... And every day, and especially today, the residents of Gagauzia say thank you to Evgenia Alexandrovna - for her work and support,” the message emphasizes.

Fellow members of the bloc congratulated Hutsul on her birthday. “Dear Evgenia Alexandrovna, on your birthday we wish you health and a speedy return home. We are all waiting for you,” they noted.