Chiara Balisteri claims Italian state is incapable of adequately protecting victims of domestic violence.A young Italian woman who became a prominent voice against domestic violence has broken down in tears on social media after learning that her convicted former partner is to be released from prison, sparking fresh outrage in Italy about the inadequacy of legal protections for victims.Chiara Balistreri, a 24-year-old influencer from Bologna, took to social media on Monday to document her fears as well as her disgust at the system. The case first attracted widespread public attention in late 2024 when Balisteri documented in a viral TikTok video the domestic violence she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, saying she chose to record the message "while I'm alive, before becoming the umpteenth case of femicide." In 2022, after enduring five years of domestic violence, Balistreri found the courage to report her former partner Gabriel Constantin to police after he beat her savagely. Constantin was convicted on appeal for ill-treatment and grievous bodily harm in one case, and for stalking in a separate proceeding. He had been sentenced to six years and three months in prison, but in early March his sentence was reduced, prompting an outpouring of despair from Balistreri, who accused the state of being incapable of protecting her or other victims of male violence. The situation deteriorated further this week when Balistreri said she was woken by a call from Bologna police informing her that Constantin would be returning home within two days.   Police said he would be fitted with an anti-stalking electronic monitoring device - a dual system comprising a non-removable bracelet for the perpetrator and an alert device for the victim, linked to a GPS phone which also notifies police of any breaches. Balistreri said she refused to accept the device. In an emotional video, she declared: "If ever something should happen to me, they will all have it on their conscience - everyone who made the decision to send him home yet again." She condemned the fact that Constantin would be returning to his mother's house - describing his mother as complicit, having helped him throughout a period of absconding to Romania and having funded his legal defence. She also detailed how Constantin had allegedly been involved in a serious fight in jail, breaking a fellow inmate's jaw and requiring him to undergo surgery, and argued that this made the decision to release him all the more inexplicable. Claiming that "the state doesn't protect us", Balistreri said: "The little bit of justice that was given to me has been taken away."  

A young Italian woman who became a prominent voice against domestic violence has broken down in tears on social media after learning that her convicted former partner is to be released from prison, sparking fresh outrage in Italy about the inadequacy of legal protections for victims. Chiara Balistreri, a 24-year-old influencer from Bologna, took to social media on Monday to document her fears as well as her disgust at the system. The case first  when Balisteri documented in a viral TikTok video the domestic violence she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, saying she chose to record the message "while I'm alive, before becoming the umpteenth case of femicide." In 2022, after enduring five years of domestic violence, Balistreri found the courage to report her former partner Gabriel Constantin to police after he beat her savagely. Constantin was convicted on appeal for ill-treatment and grievous bodily harm in one case, and for stalking in a separate proceeding. He had been sentenced to six years and three months in prison, but in early March his sentence was reduced, prompting an outpouring of despair from Balistreri, who accused the state of being incapable of protecting her or other victims of male violence. The situation deteriorated further this week when Balistreri said she was woken by a call from Bologna police informing her that Constantin would be returning home within two days.   Police said he would be fitted with an anti-stalking electronic monitoring device - a dual system comprising a non-removable bracelet for the perpetrator and an alert device for the victim, linked to a GPS phone which also notifies police of any breaches. Balistreri said she refused to accept the device. In an emotional video, she declared: "If ever something should happen to me, they will all have it on their conscience - everyone who made the decision to send him home yet again." She condemned the fact that Constantin would be returning to his mother's house - describing his mother as complicit, having helped him throughout a period of absconding to Romania and having funded his legal defence. She also detailed how Constantin had allegedly been involved in a serious fight in jail, breaking a fellow inmate's jaw and requiring him to undergo surgery, and argued that this made the decision to release him all the more inexplicable. Claiming that "the state doesn't protect us", Balistreri said: "The little bit of justice that was given to me has been taken away."