-74.
Cooperation received and consultations held by the delegation
5.
In the course of the visit, the CPT's delegation held consultations with the Minister of
Interior, Prokopis PAVLOUPOULOS, the Deputy Minister of Interior responsible for Public Order,
Panagiotis CHINOFOTIS, and the Secretary General of the Minister of Justice, Konstantine
GLETSOS, as well as with the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Giorgos SANIDAS, and
the Commander in Chief of the Hellenic Police Force, Lieutenant-General Vassilios
TSIATOURAS. The delegation also met representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) and Greek Helsinki Monitor.
6.
The degree of co-operation received during the visit from the Greek authorities was very
good. The delegation was granted immediate access to the detention facilities it wished to visit and
to the persons it wanted to interview. Information required to carry out its task was promptly
provided.
The CPT wishes to express its appreciation of the assistance provided to its delegation by
Lieutenant Colonel Evangelos KARIOFILLAKIS of the Ministry of Interior and Mrs Eftichia
KATSIGARAKI of the Ministry of Justice. However, the CPT reiterates that the quality of the
ongoing dialogue between the Greek authorities and the Committee could be further
improved by the designation of a distinct government department to be permanently
responsible for maintaining contact with the CPT before, during and after a visit. A solution for
the persistent problems of coordination amongst the different Ministries involved in the preparation
of the Greek response to the CPT’s recommendations, and the implementation of those
recommendations, should also be found.
5.
Immediate observations under Article 8, paragraph 5, of the Convention
7.
At the meeting with the Greek authorities, which took place at the end of the visit on 29
September 2008, the CPT's delegation made two immediate observations under Article 8, paragraph
5, of the Convention. The Greek authorities were requested to provide the CPT, by 31 October
2008, with:
a full report on the investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of a foreign national at
Omonia Square Police Station, as well as the results of the examination into the lack of medical
care provided to this person2;
a full report on the dermatological examination carried out on an irregular migrant at
Kordello Border Guard Station.
The information requested was received in time and has been taken into account in the report.
2
See also paragraph 12 above.