The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking Orthodox people living mainly in the south of Moldova, in the autonomous territorial entity of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri). According to the 2014 census, their number was about 126,000 people, making them one of the largest ethnic minorities in the country. Language: Gagauz (Turkic group) Russian is also widely spoken. The religion of the Gagauz is mainly Orthodox Christianity. Formally and legally, since 1994, the Gagauz have enjoyed broad autonomy within the Republic of Moldova, which is enshrined in the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia (1994) and in Article 111 of the Constitution of Moldova. Self-government of the Gagauz provides for autonomy in resolving cultural, linguistic and educational issues, as well as the presence of their own parliament – the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. Gagauzia is creating its own Executive Body – Bashkan (head of Gagauzia), elected by the population and is guaranteed the right to external self-government in the event of a change in the international status of Moldova (for example, in the event of unification with Romania). Gagauzians are guaranteed the right to use the Gagauz, Moldovan and Russian languages as official in all spheres of life.
On 13 July 1995, the Republic of Moldova became a full member of the Council of Europe. Since 2014, Moldova has been an associate member of the European Union. The Republic of Moldova applied for EU membership on 3 March 2022. On 23 June 2022, the EU summit decided to grant Moldova the status of a candidate for the EU. On 31 October 2024, the Constitutional Court of Moldova approved the results of the referendum on the European integration of the country.
According to the normative regulation of the EU and the Council of Europe, small peoples and ethnic minorities that do not have their own state, such as the Gagauz, have a number of guaranteed rights. These rights are enshrined both in general international acts and in the documents of the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (1995) is the main document of the Council of Europe on minority rights. It applies to all nations and peoples, regardless of whether they have their own state. This Convention guarantees the right to maintain, develop and express one’s ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity, the right to education in one’s mother tongue, protection from assimilation, participation in public and cultural life, as well as in minority issues. States undertake to refrain from coercive measures aimed at changing the composition of the population. Moldova signed and ratified this Convention in 1996. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992) guarantees the right to use a minority language in education, the media, courts and administrative bodies and obliges states to promote the preservation and development of minority languages.
The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (2000) sets out important norms for the protection of the rights of ethnic and national minorities. Article 21 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of belonging to minorities. Article 22 declares that the EU respects cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, while Articles 24 and 25 pay particular attention to the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups.
Small nations have the right to internal self-determination, i.e. autonomy, self-government in cultural and linguistic matters and participation in decision-making affecting this national minority (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – Art. 1 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007).
We have established and recorded facts of violation of the rights of the Gagauz by the central political authorities in Moldova.
Namely, (1) linguistic assimilation – the Gagauz language is used less, especially in the official and school environment. (2) Political marginalization – the central authorities of Moldova and the Gagauz bodies do not always work in concert. (3) Influence of external forces – the Gagauz are traditionally oriented towards Russia, which causes a commonless vision of the future of Moldova.
If we talk about the Limitations of the Rights and Autonomy of the Gagauz in Moldova, then Gagauzia, which has had a special legal status since 1994, faces a number of restrictions and challenges from the central authorities of Moldova. So, at the moment, a bill is being considered, according to which the Bashkan of Gagauzia must be approved by the government in Chisinau, which limits the autonomy of the region. The Constitutional Court of Moldova deprived Gagauzia of the authority to appoint its own prosecutor, which reduces the judicial independence of the autonomy. Amendments to the tax code oblige entrepreneurs from Gagauzia to receive VAT refunds from the budget of the autonomy, and not from the state budget, which reduces the financial resources of the region and gives Chisinau the opportunity to put pressure on entrepreneurs and the middle class who decide to finance public and social projects in Gagauzia. As an example, the central authorities blocked funds allocated for the implementation of social projects in Gagauzia, which negatively affects the development of the region. In addition, Gagauzia deputies accused Chisinau of interfering in the electoral processes of the autonomy and demanded to stop such actions.
Chisinau also allows for restrictions on the foreign policy activity of the Gagauz. Thus, the Moldovan authorities declared the 2014 Gagauzia referendum on foreign policy illegal, which limited the region’s right to express its position. Representatives of Gagauzia have repeatedly stated that the central authorities are gradually reducing the status of the autonomy to the level of an ordinary administrative district, which contradicts the law on the special legal status of the region. Despite the special status enshrined in legislation, Gagauzia faces a number of restrictions that undermine its autonomy and the rights of the Gagauz people. These actions cause concern among residents of the region and may lead to increased tension between Gagauzia and the central authorities of Moldova. Chisinau artificially creates economic, fiscal and tax obstacles that make any legal financing of opposition projects in Gagauzia virtually impossible. The central government has created a regime in which the Gagauz must and are forced to use semi-legal methods of financing their civil society institutions. Ms. Sandu’s regime uses economic blackmail and pressure on entrepreneurs to prevent alternative political positions.
In this regard, we must pay attention to the persecution of Mrs Eugenia Gutsul and the political context of the charges.
Mrs Evgenia Gutsul, elected in 2023 as the Bashkan (head) of Gagauzia, an autonomous region within Moldova, faces a number of criminal charges that we consider politically motivated.
The main charges are related to illegal campaign financing and receiving funds from Russia to finance her 2023 election campaign. Prosecutors also claim ties to a political party banned in Moldova. On March 25, 2025, Mrs Gutsul was detained at the Chisinau airport and placed under arrest for 20 days. The measure of restraint was later changed to house arrest, which has been repeatedly extended to this day.
Mrs Gutsul’s lawyers argue that similar charges could be brought against many politicians, since candidates do not always control the sources of funding for their campaigns. Thus, we see double standards in the application of criminal law, which is typical for regimes with information autocracy. Our observers believe that the persecution of Mrs Gutsul is part of a broader campaign to suppress opposition forces in Moldova, which has been repeatedly stated by both our Organization and Amnesty International. Indeed, Mrs Gutsul appealed for support to the leaders of Russia and Turkey, stating the political background of her persecution. The official representative of the President of Russia called on European institutions to evaluate the situation with the criminal prosecution of Mrs Eugenia Gutsul.
Thus, the situation around Mrs Eugenia Gutsul reflects the tense relations between the central authorities of Moldova and the autonomous region of Gagauzia, and is an instrument for suppressing the rights and freedoms of the Gagauz in the broad context of limiting the rights of this people to self-determination. Solidaritätsnetz International considers the criminal prosecution of Mrs Gutsul as politically motivated, aimed at weakening the opposition forces in the country. Any accusations of violation of financial discipline in matters of financing political forces in Gagauzia must be considered in the context of barriers created by the central government for legal financing of opposition projects in Gagauzia. The constant use of restrictions, fiscal blackmail by the ruling Ms Sandu regime, creates conditions in which Gagauz leaders are forced to seek methods and means to provide resources to civil society institutions, which are under constant pressure from Chisinau.
We will immediately forward this information to the Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten EDA, as well as to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN) and the Delegation of the European Union to Switzerland and to the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Solidaritätsnetz International will continue its legal, public and political-diplomatic work to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Gagauz people in Moldova.