Xanthi 642 92 151 Fylakio, Orestiada 6,209 0 312 Kos 168 17 33 Total 15,183 593 1,824 Source: Directorate of the Hellenic Police 6 March 2026. Number of pre-removal detention centres (PRDCs): There were seven active pre-removal detention centres in Greece at the end of 2025. These included five centres on the mainland (Amygdaleza, Tavros, Corinth, Xanthi, Paranesti, Fylakio) and one on the islands (Kos). The total pre-removal detention capacity stood at 3,496 places.1173 In addition to the above, since July 2025 a new detention facility has been established and started operated in Sidiki Serres (North Greece), Special Detention Facility of Sintiki (Serres), with a capacity of 751 persons as of December 2025. It has been established in part of the Controlled Temporary Reception Centre Sintiki and placed under the competence of the Hellenic Police for the purposes of implementing the Greek Government’s decision to suspend access to asylum for persons arriving by sea from North Africa, pursuant to Article 79 L. 5218/2025.1174 Finally, police stations and other holding facilities were also used for migration detention, despite the fact that, as the ECtHR has found, these facilities are not in line with the guarantees required under Article 3 ECHR, notably given “the nature of police stations per se, which are places designed to accommodate people for a short time only”.1175 Number of forced returns: Although the number of persons detained during the past few years remains high, this has not been mirrored by a corresponding increase in the number of forced returns. With a total number of 22,520 detention orders following a removal decision issued in 2025, the total number of forced returns was 2,464 in 2025 (10.9%).1176 The comparison between the total number of forced returns implemented and the total number of persons detained, corroborate that immigration detention is not only linked with human rights violations but also fails to effectively contribute to returns. This is further corroborated by the fact that the vast majority of forced returns concern only one nationality (citizens of Albania, 59.6%),1177 and that voluntary departures, including through the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) scheme run by IOM, constituted the majority (57%) of returns. B. Legal framework of detention 1. Grounds for detention Indicators: Grounds for Detention 1. In practice, are most asylum seekers detained ❖ on the territory: ❖ at the border: 1173 1174 1175 1176 1177 Yes Yes No No 2. Are asylum applicants detained during a regular procedure in practice? Frequently Rarely Never 3. Are asylum applicants detained during a Dublin procedure in practice? Frequently Rarely Never Ibid. Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Reply in Parliamentary Question, Doc no 237928, 11 December 2025 and Ministry of Citizens Protection, Reply in Parliamentary Question, Doc no 7017/4/27937-γ’, 13 December 2025, see https://tinyurl.com/tf65bnhw. ECtHR, H.A. and Others v. Greece, application no. 19951/16, 28 February 2019, available in French at: https://bit.ly/3OI4fAf; S.Z. v. Greece, application no. 66702/13, 21 June 2018, available at: https://bit.ly/45tcBBL, para. 40. Information provided by the Directorate of the Hellenic Police, 6 March 2026. Ibid. 237