- 31 iii. Aliens Holding Centre at Athens airport 80. This establishment was located in a building at the former US military base close to Athens airport. Police officers told the delegation that the Centre had opened about one week previously and was designed to hold foreign nationals awaiting deportation under the Aliens legislation. Its envisaged capacity was 60 detainees. At the time of the delegation's visit, work on fitting-out the Centre was still in progress. 81. The Centre was holding 41 foreign male detainees, most of whom had apparently previously been detained on the 7th floor of Athens Police Headquarters. They were accommodated in a very large room which had been divided into four holding areas (three measuring approximately 50 m² and the fourth some 30 m²), two sides of each area being walls, the other two sides made of bars. The detainees had been provided with mattresses and blankets, which were placed on the concrete floor. The holding areas had no other furniture. Two of the areas had good access to natural light; the other two had to rely permanently on artificial light given the absence of windows. Ventilation (which included air-conditioning) was very good, and the sanitary facilities (toilets, washbasins, showers) were quite adequate. 82. Detainees interviewed stated that they were pleased to have been moved away from Athens Police Headquarters, where they had been held ten to a cell (cf. also paragraph 56). They described the main problems in the new Centre as being the lack of access to a telephone and the absence of outdoor exercise. Further, a recurring complaint in the delegation's discussions with detainees was a lack of information about the procedure applicable to them. 83. At the time of the delegation's visit, the detainees were not allowed outdoor exercise; nor were there facilities for visits, or telephones at the detainees' disposal. These lacunae were to be remedied shortly. Police officers stated that as soon as the perimeter fence had been made secure, the detainees would be allowed to spend several hours a day in the garden outside the building. Further, a sizeable room at the entrance to the building was to be equipped with visiting booths, and four telephone lines for use by detainees were to be installed. The delegation was also told that regular visits to the Centre by a doctor and nurse were envisaged, and that an adjacent building was to be fitted out for female detainees.