Residents of Gagauzia sought restoration of autonomous rights and the release of its governor, Evgenia Guțul in Comrat.

Residents of Gagauzia protested in Comrat, demanding that Moldovan authorities restore autonomy’s rights and free its head, Eugenia Gutsul, from house imprisonment, according to the accepted resolution.

Protesters gathered on Wednesday at the building of the autonomy’s Executive Committee (government) to support Gutsul. Among them were local parliamentarians, Gagauz government officials, and representatives from public organisations. The event concluded with the approval of a resolution.

“We, the residents of the ATU Gagauzia, gathered for a mass rally in connection with the systematic violation by Chisinau of our constitutional rights and the special legal status of Gagauzia, declare a decisive protest against the anti-Gagauz policy of the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova. We demand from the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova all rights and powers of the ATU Gagauzia, the immediate release from house arrest of Bashkan Eugenia Gutsul,” says the document read at the rally.

The first stage involves repealing the Constitutional Court’s decision to ban the local parliament from participating in the appointment of the prosecutor.

In addition, Chisinau must stop interfering in the autonomy’s competences, stop pressuring its leadership, restore the region’s financial independence, and stop discrimination in the distribution of external grants and loans.

In addition, the protesters approved the creation of the Committee for the Defense of Autonomy, whose representatives should appeal to diplomats, as well as to the OSCE , the UN and the Council of Europe with a request to monitor the situation and prevent further infringement of the rights of the Gagauz.

According to the document, if Chisinau continues to ignore the demands of the local population, it is ready to intensify protests, appeal to international courts and apply any other legal measures.

Relations between Chisinau and Gagauzia worsened in 2023, after Gutsul won the elections for the head of the autonomy.

She represented the Sor party, which the Moldovan leadership subsequently declared unconstitutional, initiating criminal cases against its leaders.

Not a single representative of the central authorities attended the inauguration of the new head of the region, and President Maia Sandu has still not signed a decree on the inclusion of Hutsul in the government, as required by law.