Moldovan court places leader of autonomous Gagauzia region under house arrest

ISTANBUL

A court in Moldova announced Wednesday that it had transferred the detained governor of the autonomous Gagauzia region to house arrest.

Moldovan channel TV8 reported that a court in the nation’s capital Chisinau decided to transfer Evgenia Gutul from prison to house arrest for 30 days.

"We will continue to fight for justice," Gutul told journalists after leaving court, according to Russian media outlets.

Speaking to Russian state news agency RIA, Gutul’s lawyer announced her intention to file an appeal to seek the governor's full release.

Gutul was detained at Chisinau International Airport on March 25 as part of a criminal case, according to a statement by the Moldovan National Anticorruption Center.

The case is based on alleged violations of campaign finance law and forgery related to the 2023 elections, it said.

Gagauzia is an autonomous region in Moldova with a population of approximately 120,000 Gagauz people – an Orthodox Christian, Turkic community that speaks Gagauz Turkish.

The Kremlin had condemned Moldova for the detention and urged it to “abandon such methods and provide freedom of action to all political forces in the country.”

Gutul, a member of the Shor party, won the regional governor’s race in Gagauzia in May 2023.