Human rights organisations routinely describe immigration detention in Greece, especially in the border guard stations, as a human rights emergency. Organisations, from Amnesty to the Council for the Prevention of Torture, highlight deficiencies in the infrastructure, insufficient and unprofessional personnel, as well as ineffective and sometimes unlawful practices (CPT 2010; AI 2010; Pro Asyl 2007, p.23; HRW 2008). Such criticisms underpin judgments by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which have found Greece guilty for violating Articles 3 and 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (S.D.6, A.A.7, Tabesh8, M.S.S.9, Rahimi10, R.U.11 against Greece) and which have called for an end to transfers of asylum seekers back to Greece under the Dublin II Regulation. Faced with repeated failures on the part of Greek authorities to improve the conditions of immigration detention, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) issued its first public statement in 2011 addressed to an EU member state, condemning detention conditions in Greece,12 and drawing attention to the failure of this country to ‘improve the situation’ despite recommendations dating back to 2005. Nonetheless, Greek immigration detention is expanding. Although Greek Law (3386/2005), ‘on the entry, residence and social integration of third-country nationals on Greek territory,’13 makes it quite clear that administrative detention shall only be used in cases of danger for the public order and in view to deportation (Article 76), 6 S.D. vs. Greece, 11.06.2009, concerning detention in border guard station, Soufli. A.A. vs. Greece, 22.07.2010, concerning detention conditions in detention centre on Samos island. 8 Tabesh vs. Greece, 26.11.2009 9 M.S.S. vs. Belgium and Greece, 21.01.2011, concerning detention conditions at the airport detention facility. 10 Rahimi vs. Greece, 05.04.2011, concerning detention conditions on Lesvos island. 11 R.U vs. Greece, 07.06.2011, concerning detention conditions in Soufli. 12 http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/grc/2011-10-inf-eng.pdf. This is the fifth time the CPT has used this exceptional measure against countries; the first time in Turkey in 1992 and then again in 1996 and in Russia in 2001, 2003, 2005 for the situation in Chechnya. 13 For a translation of the law see http://old.certh.gr/libfiles/PDF/MOBIL-65-Nomos3386_en.pdf 7 5