Rome court denies compensation request in Desirée Mariottini case

A Rome court has denied a request from the family of Desirée Mariottini for 900,000 euros in compensation following the 2018 murder of the 16-year-old. The court ruled that because the primary perpetrator, Yousef Salia, is insolvent, the family is entitled only to state indemnity rather than full civil damages.

Under the Italian Ministry of the Interior's fund, the court awarded 25,000 euros for sexual violence and 50,000 euros for the homicide, totaling 75,000 euros to be shared among the legal beneficiaries. The judge distinguished between compensation, which aims to restore the victim's situation, and indemnity, which serves a purely reparative function.

The legal team for the family has announced an appeal to the Rome Court of Appeal, arguing that Italian law and the state's response do not fully comply with European Union directives regarding the protection of victims of violent crimes when perpetrators cannot pay.