High-profile Western lawyers, including those who defended former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, have joined the defense team of Evgenia Gutsul, a Euroskeptic head of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia region who was sentenced to seven years in prison for alleged financial crimes. The legal team, including Paris-based firm WJ Avocats and Spanish lawyer Gonzalo Boye, has been appointed to challenge the court’s verdict, which Gutsul claims is politically motivated and part of a broader effort to silence dissent ahead of elections. The case has drawn international attention, with Russia condemning the Moldovan government’s actions as an example of “European anti-values in action” and a bid to pressure the opposition ahead of September elections.