81 12. Hunger strikes ■ Appalling conditions in centres of detention in Greece, lack of transparency in procedures determining their nationality, lack of guarantees during the asylum or deportation procedure, and police violence lead many of the detainees to go on hunger strike or to use other forms of protest, such as self-harm or setting fire on the mattresses or blankets in the cells. Some, desperate, even try to escape. Not all detainees’ protests are heard or known, since these kinds of incidents are rarely reported to the public. Information concerning protests in detention centres is usually blocked and the police attempts to conceal or downplay news of unrest, by transferring detainees to other detention centres or applying gratuitous disciplinary measures, such as isolation. This makes it even more difficult to track those on hunger strike and usually the authorities proceed to »silent« deportation. In Fylakio detention centre there have been repeated reports of protests. »Minors shout and request to speak to the director. Adults also shout, many of them self-harm and threaten to commit suicide.«240 On November 30, 2010, there was a protest in Fylakio that reached the public.241 On October 28, 2010, two other Iranians went on a hunger strike while in detention in Evros. They sewed their lips together with shoelaces, protesting against their readmission and for their right to seek asylum. 242 On November 22, 2010 four other Iranians went on a hunger strike and sewed their lips together in Feres, protesting against the inhumane detention conditions, the long duration of detention periods, and the arbitrary rejection of their asylum claims.243 On the second day, they were transferred to Soufli. Two of them were kept in a separate »disciplinary« cell of the Police. »We just wanted freedom«, one of them said.244 On the April 12, 2011, 36 women were being detained in Feres. Two of them were in mixed detention, since they didn’t want to be separated from their husbands. The other 34 were in one cell in appalling conditions. 29 of the wo- 240 D.S. from Iran; April,15, 2011 – Fylakio 241 Thraki TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fblSruEstGw& feature=player_embedded 242 http://www.tanea.gr/ellada/article/? aid=4597999 »While handcuffed, police officers beat me with their elbows in the face and chest. They wanted me to stop the hunger strike.« A.R., from Iran ■ A.R. is from Iran and belongs to the so-called nationalities at high risk of readmission to Turkey. He was readmistted by the Greek authorities to Turkey but at last, he was not accepted back because of his serious health problems. He was brought back to the Greek detention centre. For fear of being readmitted again, he decided to go on a hunger strike, which resulted in a worsening of his health condition. He applied for asylum and stayed for five months in detention. »When I came to Greece, I had no plans to seek asylum here. I was working for the Musawi party in Iran and spent some months in prison there, where I was tortured. I filed a request for asylum in detention, as this was the only way to avoid deportation, and my life is in danger back in Iran. I spent more than five months in detention. From the very beginning, my health condition deteriorated. I had stomach problems, too. After nine days in Feres I was transferred to Venna in order to be deported. I stayed there for more than two months. […] As my health condition worsened, they had to take me to the hospital. Immediately after my release from the hospital they took me directly to the border and handed me to the Turkish authorities. They took me to a Turkish hospital and decided that they wouldn’t keep me, but sent me back to Greece. I was brought back to Venna and then decided to go on a hunger strike. After twelve days a police officer told me I should lodge an application for asylum in order to avoid deportation. I was then brought back to Feres. I was very sick and they had to take me to the hospital. I fainted and they wanted to feed me by a feeding tube, but I refused. While handcuffed, police officers beat me with their elbows in the face and chest. They wanted me to stop the hunger strike«. A.R. was released shortly before reaching the maximum time limit in immigration detention. The lawyer challenged his detention in court twice. 243 http://infomobile.w2eu.net/files/2011/03/Press-Release-27thNovember-2010.pdf 244 B.M. from Iran;December 19, 2010 – Soufli