(MENAFN) Evgenia Gutsul, the imprisoned leader of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia region, has denounced her recent seven-year sentence as a politically driven move aimed at suppressing dissent. Speaking through her lawyers on Telegram, Gutsul labeled the verdict a “political execution,” accusing the government of using the courts to eliminate opposition voices ahead of the 2026 elections.

The court in Chisinau found Gutsul guilty of financing the banned Euroskeptic SOR party, a charge she strongly rejects. Gutsul claims the ruling was designed to intimidate Gagauzia’s residents and anyone who challenges Moldova’s pro-Western government, warning, “Today it’s me behind bars – tomorrow it could be anyone.”

Gutsul, who was elected in 2023 on the SOR ticket, had promised to strengthen ties with Russia, contrasting with President Maia Sandu’s EU-oriented administration. The SOR party was banned later that year for allegedly receiving illegal foreign funds.

She also faces accusations of paying participants to join anti-government protests in 2022 and has been ordered to pay $2.3 million in damages. Former SOR member Svetlana Popan received a six-year sentence in the same case. Gutsul plans to appeal the decision.

The verdict sparked rival demonstrations outside the courthouse, with police deploying a security perimeter and protesters chanting slogans against President Sandu.

The Kremlin has condemned the sentence, calling it an attempt to stifle the opposition ahead of Moldova’s September parliamentary elections.

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