»The truth may be bitter, but it must be told« officially to my lawyer, UNCHR and the Greek Ombudsman that there are no mother and a 5-year-old child detainees in the area of Alexandroupolis or Orestiada. But at the morning of Tuesday 20 March 2007 at 5 o’clock, they were secretly sent by the Greek authorities back towards the Turkish border. The guards were very harsh to them and threw my kid inside the river. Then they had been forced to go towards Turkey. My wife had to pay 100 dollars to an Algerian to carry my daughter. And after 4 hours walking without knowing the direction, the Turkish police caught them and sent them to the prison in Edirne. With co-operation between UNHCR in Greece and UNHCR in Turkey, while they were going to be sent back to Iran, they were located and they could stop the deportation process. At the prison, there is no opportunity for taking a shower, no clean bathroom, and no good air condition, no heating system, no good food, no hygiene services, no fresh air. The guards hit the women detainees with sticks very badly. It is not allowed for the detainees to go out of the cell to see the sun. Even though my six-year-old kid has had a heart operation because of paediatric allergy (PDA), has anaemia and is supposed to have red meat every day and to have enough movement with fresh air. And my wife had to make hot water by an electric tea kettle and had to boil it several times to have enough hot water just to make their body wet. Because of too many people in there, there are not enough rest rooms and showers. People have to stay in a long queue for using them. Most of the prisoners are smokers, and non - smokers undoubtedly have to become second hand smokers (especially for the children). Because of dirty blankets which they are using, my dearly daughter had got some red spots all over her body. They have to suffer for not having a heating system, constantly having cold and chilly nights. One Somalia woman-detainee had tuberculoses. All this time there was no doctor visit and no medical examination, although my wife told the official from the Turkish government, who interviewed her, about the health problems. 36 Annex 1: Excerpts from interviews In every cell there are about 50 detainees. All of them are deported by the Greek authorities. They are Iraqis, Kurds, Iranians, Arabs, Somalia’s women etc. Most of them face medical problems. Every 2-3 days more people come to Edirne in detention. A lot of them are deported back to their countries, even to Iraq and Iran. Eventually after two months in 16 May 2007 my family was released from prison after being acknowledged as refugees by UNHCR and are sent to a Turkish city that is called Amasya, without any support and any protection. And they are charged about 400 Euros for being imprisoned, they are forced to sign five days a week to show they haven’t left the city. During this period on 26 April 2007, I had an interview with the Greek asylum office, and since then I have no answer for my claim. Am I acknowledged by Greek authorities or not? Still after 4 years I am not able to see my family. By article 23, paragraph 1, fundamental human rights ›the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state‹. The mentioned fact above shows the cruelty of both Greek and Turkish ruling toward a child and a defenceless woman. As a human being, as a father and a husband, as a political refugee and religiously persecuted person (none Muslim) that has to flee from the hand of a bloody regime (Iran), my questions are: How long it will last? What will happen to their life and my life? Who wants to take responsibility for this action? When will I be able to get my right? When will I be able to be reunited with my family? Has Greece signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights at all? 58 There is a file containing a medical report at the Medical Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture in Athens – the following report is in accordance with the recording of an interview in the detainment camp in Chios: Visit of Marianna Tzeferakou, Natassa Strachini and Karl Kopp on 16 July 2007 from 6pm till 8pm.