20 2. Maltreatment by Police be placed in a new container where the People detained in the PRDC also continued to bathroom would work. experience police maltreatment in the form of With regards to physical aggression, three verbal participants and physical aggression, with reported the police being individuals sharing that they more commonly physically aggressive with them in the PRDC. were victims of verbal aggression. Specifically, Haytham shared that he was physically seven reported assaulted in retaliation to a small action he experiencing some kind of verbal aggression staged to protest the inadequate food when communicating with the police. As Brian provisions. Upon his arrival to the PRDC, explained, “Some of [the police] are nice, some of Haytham staged a hunger strike for three days, them are not. If someone asks for something, some during which he demanded more food from the of them answer back in a good way, others in a bad police commander. In response to his protest, way.” Others reported verbal aggression in the an officer came to Haytham and brought him to form of taunts. For example, Ali described a a caravan in the police headquarters in which, situation where a police officer responded to a “Multiple officers were there, and they slapped me general sentiment many asylum seekers share and beat me. They said ‘No food, and no of wanting to move to Germany. Ali recalled, demanding anything’...One of them slapped me “The police told us that you say Germany is better, until I said, ‘Please just leave me alone. I don’t want but Germany gave us money to make sure that you food or anything.’” were detained and returned [to your country.]” “Another guy was hitting his head on the wall An Equal Rights lawyer also observed a saying, ‘I need food. Call a delivery guy. I can pay particularly troubling account of verbal for it,’ and he was beaten up.” aggression involving two female asylum In addition to physical aggression, participants seekers detained in the PRDC. On 24 April 2023, reported other forms of police maltreatment. an Equal Rights lawyer entered the PRDC for an Faris shared that when he was being appointment with male clients. While waiting transferred to the PRDC, he was required to sign in the PRDC, the lawyer witnessed Lana, one of a paper and that after he did, “The police came to the female participants, complaining about the get me, and they tied my feet with rope but did not conditions to a healthcare professional, handcuff me.” explaining that she could not stay in the troubling police behaviour designed to inflict caravan she was currently housed in because psychological pain on asylum seekers when he the bathroom did not work. In response to her explained, “There are some [police officers] who complaints, a police officer intervened by are respectful but others who want to feel better violently yell at Lana to return to her caravan, about themselves...They come in and turn off air eventually threatening her with arrest if she did conditioning or electricity so that you leave the not return immediately to her caravan and stop room, and they choose times to turn on hot water so complaining. The situation was only resolved that sometimes you are under the water and it goes when the police officer requested the assistance from hot to cold.” of the 13 participants of a more senior police officer, who responded to Lana calmly and explained that they would Noah also explained, Meanwhile, Maher revealed Four other participants explained that they believed the police were not physical with them ‘Still detained and forgotten’ – Update on Detention Policies, Practices, and Conditions on Kos 2023/24