Moldova's prosecutor has requested a 30-day arrest warrant for the president of the autonomous region of Gagauzia in the south of the country, Yevgenia Gutsul.
On March 25, Gagauzia's leader, Yevgenia Gutsul, was detained. She revealed that Chisinau authorities had offered to drop their persecution of her in exchange for her resignation as president of the Gagauzia region and immediate departure from Moldova.
Gutsul later sent a similar letter to US Vice President J.D. Vance, stating, "I ask you to pay attention to the situation in Moldova, where a brutal political conflict is unfolding, based on the worst authoritarian practices in the world."
Additionally, Gutsul appealed to the presidents of Russia, Turkey, and the United States, describing her detention as part of "a campaign by the Moldovan authorities to destroy the autonomy of Gagauzia."
The Gagauzia People's Assembly (parliament) had previously announced, in a statement issued after an emergency session of the legislature, that it would support the protests in Moldova if authorities did not release President Yevgenia Gutsul.