16 THE DUBLIN II TRAP TRANSFERS OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO GREECE Prior to July 2009, Dublin II returnees, who had not previously applied for asylum in Greece, generally applied for asylum at Athens airport, where asylum interviews were also conducted (see below under Lack of impartial and specialized decision making authority).53 Under PD 81/2009, however, asylum-seekers have experienced additional problems in gaining access to an asylum determination procedure. When asylum-seekers submit their asylum application to the authorities they receive a document known as a pink card, which needs to be renewed every six months. Under the new system, Dublin II returnees are required, within three days of their release from Athens airport, to go to the Central Police Asylum Department of the Aliens Directorate, Headquarters of Hellenic Police, in Petrou Ralli, Athens (hereafter Attica Police Headquarters), to present their asylum applications.54 Under the law this is the only authority in the Attica area that can receive asylum applications. At present, around 20 claims are registered in one day, although up to 2,000 persons may be queuing to apply for asylum, while there is no standard system for prioritizing those who want to enter the building and submit their asylum applications.55 Some asylum-seekers interviewed by Amnesty International reported that they were not clearly informed, in a language they understood, about the three-day deadline. Many who went to the Asylum Department of the Attica Police Headquarters had to wait in line for several hours, sometimes overnight, in order to gain access to the Police Headquarters. Similar problems were experienced by registered Dublin II returned asylum-seekers, who have to report their address to the Asylum Department. N. is an Iraqi asylum-seeker. Allegedly his father was working for a US company as a translator and was killed by Iraqis because of his post. N. was also allegedly working for a US company when he was kidnapped for one week and his family was asked to pay US$20,000 in order for him to be set free. He first arrived in Greece in 2007 with one of his brothers and his sister and travelled to Belgium, where one of his brothers had obtained asylum. He was returned to Greece with his brother and sister under Dublin II. They allegedly all received pink cards without being given the opportunity to explain their reasons for seeking asylum. Since they were homeless and living on the streets in Athens, N. went to the Iraqi embassy and asked for his sister to be sent back to Iraq. He explained to Amnesty International representatives that he continued living in Greece and was not able to renew his pink card after the six- month expiry period. So he remained in the country without any documentation. N. left Greece for a second time in 2008 and reached another EU country; he was returned to Greece for a second time under Dublin II in 2009. He said that, in the airport, he was asked to give his reasons for seeking asylum in a short paragraph. He was not given any written notice by the airport police. When Amnesty International representatives contacted the airport police to request that a notice be issued so that this asylum-seeker could go to Attica Police Headquarters, the police explained that his name was not included in their papers. As a result he was not allowed to enter the building. With the assistance of the Red Cross, he was finally given permission to enter after weeks of trying. The police told him that, in order to receive an asylum application card, he would have to bring a rental contract within two weeks. Since he had Amnesty International March 2010 Index: EUR 25/001/2010