THE PEOPLE ELECTED HER,
BUT THE REGIME IMPRISONED HER

A BOOK BY EVGHENIA GUTUL — HEAD OF THE GAGAUZ AUTONOMY,
SENTENCED BY MOLDOVAN AUTHORITIES
TO 7 YEARS IN PRISON FOR
NOT BETRAYING HER PEOPLE

30 LETTERS FROM A PRISON CELL TO THE PEOPLE OF GAGAUZIA, WHOM SHE DID NOT BETRAY.

To the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, who sentenced her to 7 years in prison. To her children, whom she can no longer hug. To her mother, who is waiting. To the members of the European Parliament — about political repression in a EU candidate country. The book of the legitimately elected head of an autonomous region, who was deprived of freedom but could not be silenced.

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EVGHENIA GUTUL IN PRISON

Evghenia Gutul is Baskan (Governor) of Gagauzia, an autonomous region in southern Moldova with a status similar to Catalonia or the Basque Country).

In 2023, running as a candidate from the opposition, she won the election for the Governor of Gagauzia. However, the central government refused to recognize the election results. Furthermore, under law, the Governor shall be appointed member of the Government, but President Maia Sandu has not done so.

That triggered strong political pressure: Gagauzia was stripped of its legal rights, two criminal cases were opened against Evghenia Gutul, and she was subjected to exhausting court hearings and interrogations. She was offered a deal: give up her mandate - and all the cases will be closed. She refused.

The response was a harsh guilty verdict. The mother of two sons was sentenced to seven years and sent to Chisinau Prison No. 13, notorious for its inhumane conditions. For almost a year now, Gutul has been deprived of the opportunity to see her children, the youngest of whom is only three years old.

Map of Moldova with Gagauzia
Gagauzia ATU
Flag of Gagauzia
Map of Moldova with Gagauzia
Gagauzia ATU

Gagauzia is a small autonomous region in southern Moldova. Its capital is Comrat, 100 kilometers from Chisinau.

The Gagauz are a unique people. They are Orthodox Christians and speak Gagauz (one of the Turkic languages). Officially, three languages are used – Gagauz, Moldovan, and Russian.

Gagauzia ATU

Their ancestors came to the empty steppe at the beginning of the 19th century. They dug the earth, built clay houses, and grew grapes. They suffered for every inch of this land. Here they remember the names of their great-grandfathers, bake the same pies for holidays, and all they want is to live on their native land and for their children to speak their language.

It was for this reason that they achieved autonomy in 1994. And for thirty years now, they have been defending their right to be themselves. Today, their leader is in prison.

The Gutul Case book

This book is neither a confession nor a memoir. It is simply proof that they did not break me. And if you hold it in your hands, I have already won. These are thirty letters that I wrote to different people: my husband, my children, my mother, politicians, journalists, and myself.

You'll learn what it's like to sit in a cell and think about your three-year-old son growing up without a mother. How to write a letter to the politician who put you in jail. You'll learn what's happening in Moldova and Gagauzia, how autonomy is being stifled, how TV channels are being shut down, how people are imprisoned without evidence.

Read, think, and draw your own conclusions. The bottom line: do not be indifferent, because indifference kills the world faster than any dictatorship.

With respect and hope, Evghenia Gutul
Prison No. 13, Chisinau
April 2026

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REVIEWS

"What happens when a region votes the wrong way? This book answers a question that concerns every European. Its author — the elected Bashkan of Gagauzia — has been sentenced to seven years and separated from her children. The book documents violations of the European Convention on Human Rights — the international treaty that Moldova has signed.

The author does not ask for sympathy. She invites the reader to be the judge. What if the Basque Country elected a leader inconvenient to Madrid? This book is a mirror through which Europe can explore itself. It reads easily. But after it, silence becomes difficult."

Gonzalo Boye,
international lawyer

"A course in Moldovan hospitality for inconvenient politicians" — only someone with a strong spirit and a sense of humor could describe prison time that way. I spent nearly three months there, and it pains me deeply that Evghenia, a champion of Gagauz rights and the legitimately elected Baskan, has been there for nearly a year. Due to a fabricated case, she is not with her children, who need their mother.

In her letter to me, Evghenia recalls the book by Alexander Green that we loved so much as children. But adult life — a stern teacher — shows us that we can only rely on ourselves and our trusted friends. Ilan Shor brought such people together as a team and taught us to sew those very "scarlet sails." We all see that magical ship in the distance — a symbol of hope and faith that Moldova will restore law and justice, and that Evghenia Gutul will return to her family…"

Marina Tauber,
executive secretary of the political bloc Victory

TIMELINE OF THE POLITICAL
PERSECUTION OF EVGHENIA GUTUL

JANUARY 2022

Even before the elections, the authorities open criminal case No. 1 against her as a means of pressure.

January 2022
May 2023
MAY 2023

Election victory.
The authorities offer a deal:
surrender your mandate — we'll drop the case.
She refuses.

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JANUARY 2024

Case No. 2 is
secretly opened

January 2024
March 2024
MARCH 2024

Provocation and attempted arrest
at Chisinau airport

MARCH 2025

Arrest in case No. 1. Mass protests
break out throughout Gagauzia.
Under pressure, prison is replaced
with house arrest

March 2025
August 2025
AUGUST 2025

Sentence: 7 years

OCTOBER 2025

Appeal for
case No. 1 begins

October 2025

TODAY

Case No.2 is frozen — no legal proceedings

THE CASE IN NUMBERS:

69 VOLUMES
54 TRIALS IN A YEAR

NOT A SINGLE PIECE OF
DIRECT EVIDENCE

Prosecution witnesses admitted
they only saw Gutul on television

Evghenia Gutul

WHAT MAIA SANDU'S REGIME IS HIDING FROM EUROPE

In 2022, Moldova officially became a candidate for EU membership. Since then, the country's leadership has regularly sent glowing reports to Brussels about its commitment to European values. But behind these reports lies a very different reality.

The country is sinking into poverty. The economy is collapsing: inflation has risen by 75% over the past five years, the average pension is ten times lower than the EU average, and a third of farmers are on the verge of bankruptcy. Any dissent is suppressed. The legal system has come under the control of the authorities. Freedom of speech has been destroyed: more than 20 opposition TV channels have been shut down and over 100 media outlets blocked.

The Moldovan authorities speak of democracy, but are building a dictatorship. It makes sense to ask: is Europe ready to let such a Moldova into its home?

Below is an open letter from Evghenia Gutul to the Members of the European Parliament. It paints a realistic picture of what is happening — the very truth that is missing from official reports.

LETTER FROM EVGHENIA GUTUL TO THE MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

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DOWNLOAD THE LETTER