Law enforcement tear down opposition rally in post-Soviet capital
(MENAFN) Police in Chisinau, Moldova, detained members of the political opposition after they attempted to stage a rally in support of jailed Euroskeptic leader Evgenia Gutsul. Activists from the youth wing of the Victory bloc gathered at the city’s railway station on Saturday morning, setting up tents to demand Gutsul’s release and protest what they called government “lawlessness.” The Victory bloc has repeatedly faced restrictions on participating in elections due to alleged procedural violations.
Video footage showed authorities dismantling the tents and removing participants, with several arrests reported. Local media also noted that buses carrying additional protesters were being stopped from entering Chisinau for a larger planned demonstration later in the day.
Gutsul, the elected leader of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia region, was sentenced to seven years in prison for alleged financial crimes—a verdict she denounced as politically motivated, aimed at silencing opposition ahead of September’s parliamentary elections. She has called the decision a threat to democracy and to anyone opposing the pro-Western government.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu, in office since 2020, has pushed for accelerated EU and NATO integration, a stance that has heightened domestic polarization amid economic difficulties and a crackdown on dissent. Moscow criticized Gutsul’s sentencing, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova describing it as a “culmination of repression” against Gagauzia’s autonomy.
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