Juana Rivas's Son Accuses Father Before Italian Court: "I Lived in Hell"

An exceptionally emotional hearing took place in the criminal court in Cagliari, Sardinia, in the trial of Francesco Arcuri, accused of abusing his children. The key moment of the day was the testimony of Gabriel, the couple's 19-year-old son, who presented a shocking picture of daily life alongside his father. The young man, appearing as a witness, spared no gruesome details, describing his experiences as "hell." He testified that Arcuri used systematic physical violence, and that in critical moments there were attempts to take his life. Gabriel emphasized that fear of his father's aggression accompanied him every day, and that moving to Spain in 2022 was his only way out, though it meant painfully leaving his younger brother, Daniel, in the care of the accused. Simultaneously, Juana Rivas herself gave testimony, separated from her former partner by a special screen due to trauma. Rivas, once again confirming the allegations made for years, quoted the children who reportedly begged her for help, claiming they would "die at the hands of their father." She also described the humiliation mechanism used by Arcuri, who allegedly called the children "bastards" and regularly insulted their mother in their presence. The Spaniard explained that her previous actions, including fleeing with the children, were motivated solely by the desire to protect them from escalating violence. This situation is unprecedented in that the Italian prosecution, which had previously repeatedly dropped investigations, decided to issue an official apology for seven years of negligence and ineffectiveness in protecting the minors. The case of Juana Rivas has become a symbol in Spain of the fight for family law reform and the protection of mothers from so-called institutional violence. Since 2017, when Rivas refused to hand over the children to their father, public debate has focused on the conflict between the child's best interests and the legal systems of European Union countries in cases of parental abduction. Despite the strength of the prosecution's testimony, Francesco Arcuri's defense maintains a line of alleged manipulation by the mother towards the children. Arcuri himself was present in the courtroom and listened to his son's words, denying all accusations. The court plans to hear further witnesses in March, including people from the family's surroundings in Carloforte, where the incidents allegedly occurred. The legal situation is complicated by the fact that the younger son, now 11-year-old Daniel, still lives with his father in Italy.