»The truth may be bitter, but it must be told« Samos: children’s playground in the new detention centre Lesbos: Detention centre Pagani-Mitilini The detention centre Pagani-Mitilini is made up of a number of large warehouses. The detainees live in these warehouses – in the largest one there are 60 beds – divided according to countries of origin. The authorities claim this centre to be designed for 500 people. At the time of our visit36 150 - 200 people were in the centre. The new containers for families and unaccompanied minors stood unused in the yard. The guards say these containers are unusable in the hot summer months as they have no insulation. Samos: new detention centre The detention centre on Samos is to be closed imminently. The new centre in Vathy has been under construction for years, but should be open shortly. The available places for detainees on Samos will quadruple as a result, to around 400 places. The new centre should be an improvement on the current one: there is to be an open area for use by detainees, separate areas for women and children and a functioning sanitary system. The delegation of the European Parliament still has its doubts however: »The flat-roofed ›cabin‹ design of the structures might raise question marks about their suitability given the local climate«.35 In any case, no improved conditions will disguise the fact that it is a detention centre for people who have committed no criminal offence, and who need protection. 24 Deportation orders, detention and detention conditions In the wing in which men from Afghanistan, Afghan minors, as well as men from Palestine and Iraq are held, the sanitary conditions are unbearable. There is one toilet and one shower on the whole corridor. The mattresses and the blankets are incredibly dirty. The tap water was impotable. Access to the outside area in Mitilini has not been regulated. Individuals from Arabic countries complain that they were denied any access to the outside area. At the time of the visit there were only two women in the women’s area: a woman from Somalia and an older woman from central Iraq who was registered with the Greek authorities as Palestinian. A few days before our visit, a group of underage girls from Somalia had been released under pressure from Giorgos Tsarbopoulos, Director of UNHCR Greece.37