11. Violence In October 2011, we learned about two incidents of violence against sick people. »How can we ask for asylum in a country where they beat sick people and women?« A.K. from Iraq237 ■ A.K. and his wife would be in great danger if they return to Iraq. They were arrested on August 29, 2011 and transferred to Tychero border guard station. They were kept in cell two, in mixed detention, along with other families and unaccompanied minors. Already in Iraq, A.K. had told us that suffered from epilepsy. »Whenever I am highly stressed, I get a fit!« His wife has psychological problems. Her husband reported that she also has uterine cancer. She is suffering from backache and pains bellow her stomach. »One night – 15-20 days ago – my husband had one of his epileptic seizures. He fainted in the middle of the cell. I started shouting for the guards to come and take him to a doctor. Three to four police officers came. They opened the door of the cell and started beating a friend who was trying to help my husband. They also beat my husband and they threatened to beat all the others, shouting: ›Move back, move back!‹ They pulled the unconscious body of my husband out into the corridor and continued beating him there. Outside, there were more officers. I ran out and begged them to stop. They made me stand with the face against the wall and my hands up and started beating me too.« A.K. adds: »I don’t remember the night. I had fainted away in an epileptic fit. The others told me later that I was beaten by the police.«238 Following this incident, the couple was separated. A.K. was sent to Venna and his wife to Feres. After about a week, he too was transferred to Feres. For two days they stayed there together in mixed detention, then they were sent back to Tychero. They did not know that they were in detention pending deportation. When they got the information from the missionslawyers and were informed about their right to claim asylum, A.K. and his wife were first hesitating, asking if that would mean that they would be separated again and that they would stay in detention longer. A.K. said: »How can we ask for international protection in a country where they beat women?« Currently, they are both in danger of deportation to Turkey and from there to Iraq. 237 A.K. from Iraq; October 12, 2011 – Tychero 238 H.K. from Iraq; October 12, 2011 – Tychero 79 11.2. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment in detention by inmates (when in mixed detention) or by police officers is something nobody wants to talk about. It it difficult to prove, and it is difficult to speak about when access to lawyers, psychologists and doctors is not always granted, especially if the perpetrator is a police officer. In Fylakio detention centre, male detainees repeatedly reported to us that they witnessed women taken out of their cell by police officers in late night hours, to other rooms of the detention centre (such as the telephone room), or outside the building. Some male detainees interpreted this as a silent agreement between police officers and women, »From the beginning there were women who having relations with the police for the basic things, like soap.« R.I. from Iran239 In June 2011, a woman reported to the police authorities about her sexual harassment. »From the beginning there were women who having relations with the police for the basic things, like soap.« She stated that a police officer had come to the women cell at 10 o’clock in the night and offered her a condom. Witnesses verified her testimony. Even though her allegations concerned a police officer in the detention centre, she was still kept in the same detention centre and in the same cell. No measures were taken in order to protect her. Neither had the deportation order been revoked or waived until the completion of the administrative or judicial inquiry. Meanwhile, she got repeatedly beaten by her inmates for having complained against a police officer. The police authorities arbitrarily refused her lawyer full access to her file needed to challenge her detention before the court. Concerns have also been raised about the inquiry procedure, the identification of the perpetrator and the lack of safeguards for the detainees. The victim was released after challenging her detention before the court. The penal procedure against the police officer is still pending. 239 R.I. from Iran; June 15, 2011 – Athens