The respondent is a 43-year-old man from Algeria. He reported being apprehended on the 8th of July 2023 in Zakynthos, following an altercation with members of the public during which the respondent states that he was assaulted. The respondent described how two officers wearing blue and white uniforms arrived in a 4x4 car and arrested him, reportedly for being undocumented.

Upon his arrest, he was transferred to what he described as a police station. He reported being detained here for one month in a cell he shared with five other people, the majority of whom he described as tourists. He was not informed of the length of his detention. Whilst detained he was presented with multiple documents he was instructed to sign, however, there was no translator he was unable to understand them. The respondent described the consequences of refusing to sign a document, ‘[if] you don’t want to sign it because you don’t understand it they immediately change their faces and the way they look at you then they start to be violent.’ Adding that generally, ‘They [police officers] have ways to punish you, you know. They could lock you in your room and not allow you to use the toilet.’ He reported that for the entire one-month period, he was detained underground, without access to sunlight. Food was provided, but drinking water had to be purchased as the respondent stated it was not possible to drink from the tap. After approximately one month he was transferred to Corinth PRDC.

The respondent was held at Corinth for 28 days, the first five of which were spent in the quarantine area. He explained that detainees were housed in a series of buildings surrounded by barbed wire fencing. He shared a room with 25 other detainees and although there was a sufficient number of beds and mattresses, they were infested with bed bugs. The respondent stated that there was no access to hot water. Detainees had to clean their rooms but cleaning products were provided only once. However, he noted that some basic hygine items, like shampoo, were provided. The food was reported to be two meals a day plus a croissant and juice, which the respondent described as terrible and inedible. Access to outside space was limited to two or three hours a day. Medical care was described as inadequate, with most health issues treated with paracetamol.

After being detained for 28 days in Corinth, the respondent was transferred to Amygdaleza PRDC. He described the situation at Amygdaleza as ‘catastrophic,’ in particular highlighting the poor mental health of other detainees at the facility.