FORGOTTEN Administratively detained irregular migrants and asylum seekers In summary, we report the following: Regarding the Hellenic Police Departments: • Lack of an individualized approach based on the characteristics, the situation and the needs of the arrested foreign nationals • Alternatives to detention are not applied • Systematic, unjustified detention of dubious legitimacy on public order grounds • Detention of individuals whose removal violates the principle of non-refoulement • Over six months detention despite the government’s announcements • Detention of people facing serious health problems • Re-arrest for the purpose of return, despite previous prolonged and ineffective detention • Failure to take into account data that arise over the period of detention regarding the health status of detainees and extension of detention of vulnerable persons • Lack of interpretation services, indispensable for the detainees in order to fully understand their legal status, the decisions that concern them and the documents they are asked to sign • Lack of free legal assistance • Lack of information regarding an imminent enforcement of the return decision • Detention of unaccompanied minors and implementation of the problematic age assessment procedure • Irregular detention in view of first reception procedures Regarding the Asylum Service • Serious delays in the recording and processing of detainees’ asylum applications • Recommendations to the police authorities on the detention of asylum seekers, have a standard and not binding wording, which results in the police authorities continuing to determine exclusively about the detention of the applicants. 38