The respondent is an Egyptian national who reported arriving in Crete from Libya in August 2025 and was subjected to the unlawful suspension of asylum applications, implemented by the Greek government between July-October 2025 for all third country nationals arriving from North Africa. He was automatically detained on arrival to Greece, without access to the asylum procedure or information on his rights, and remained in detention after the ban was lifted. Reportedly, he and his fellow travellers were apprehended by the authorities the day after their arrival on the shore of Crete. Upon apprehension, their phones along with other belongings were reportedly taken by the authorities. They were then reportedly transferred to a detention facility. Based on the description and photographs shared with the respondent, the detention facility in which he was held was identified as the Hellenic Coast Guard security building in Heraklion. The respondent reported ill-treatment at the hands of the authorities in Heraklion. He also added that they were forced to take off the top half of their clothing and were promised they would receive more clothes, however this promise was not met. He relayed being detained along with 67 people, mainly Egyptian and Sudanese nationals, who were at first placed in a large open space, and then divided in smaller rooms in the upper floor of the building. He noted the presence of “many children” and unaccompanied minors already held in the facility upon his arrival, who were placed in the same shared spaces as everyone else. Reportedly, the aggressive behaviour from the authorities intensified while in detention: “We were treated very violently. [...] Due to the violence and how we were treated we stopped eating. For 3 days we stopped eating, some people fainted, some went to the hospital because of that.” The respondent described a particular officer with seemingly greater authority who used derogatory language towards the detainees: “There was an old guy, [...] he works for the authorities. He was telling us ‘This is not your country, you're not welcome here’.” This same officer reportedly reacted to the previously mentioned hunger strike with verbal abuse. The respondent recalled these words: “you guys think that you are smart doing this, but it doesn’t matter, it doesn't change anything, we will throw the food anyway, go back to your country’.” The respondent added that this overall aggressive behaviour came as a surprise to him and other fellow people detained: “I heard that in Greece they respect different religions and beliefs, so I was surprised they were criticising me and treating me this way.” He described the facility as “very disgusting, there were insects everywhere, it looked like a morgue, like where they store dead bodies. They would only feed us once a day, there were like 17 hours between the meals.” He added that they were only provided with a bottle of water during the one daily meal and that they were not allowed to shower for the whole duration of his stay. As he shared: “We did not shower for 20 days in Libya, then 16 days in Crete, to the point that lots of people got scabies and skin problems.” The respondent reported a lack of air conditioning despite the summer heat and only being given “dirty blankets with insects” but no mattresses or beds. As he detailed: “Every 3 people would sleep on one blanket, and will try to cover themselves with another one. To try to save some water, we would fast Monday and Thursday, and would pierce the bottle to save some water. Even for praying, water is required, but we would pray without water. I thought that Libya was the worst violence I’d ever encountered, but when I came to Greece, I realised it was worse.” The respondent reported that the doctors, who attended the facility once a week, would only be able to provide painkillers, such as paracetamol, and no specialist treatment: “Some people had serious problems, they could not be treated.” He reported the presence of a Syrian interpreter, whose service was offered by an NGO who he identified as the Red Cross.

The respondent reported being transferred to the Special Detention Facility of Serres, in Sintiki, after being held for 15 days in Crete. He was reportedly able to apply for asylum after the ban was lifted, but remained in detention during the procedure. He voiced his frustration regarding the lengthy period of detention, as well as the lack of information about his case: “They keep renewing the days I have to wait [in detention]. [I thought that] after these 30 days it’s over, but they keep giving me new dates, another 15, 30 days. [...] I’ve been stuck there for 7 months, I don’t understand why, people say it is the new law.” The respondent reported that the clothes that were promised to them were never supplied, therefore he was still wearing the same clothing from his time in Libya, until a friend sent him some money to buy new clothes and other necessary items. He also reported insufficient food provisions, no distribution of items for personal hygiene, and unaffordable prices of the products sold in the facility. This resulted in him and others having to rely on the help of Sudanese asylum seekers who were able to leave the camp to buy essential goods. Reportedly, this practice was later prohibited, meaning detained people were forced to bribe the police in order to bring such products into the facility. Additionally, he reported unsuitable facilities to accommodate the needs of a large number of residents, consisting of 4 working toilets for around 750 people. He further explained that the limited number of bathrooms was the source of regular tensions between detainees. He described the camp as being divided in 4 sections, each presenting containers hosting between 6 and 9 people. As he added: “Some people sleep on the beds and some people sleep on the floor. Some people sleep on blankets, some people sleep on mattresses, and some people sleep on beds without mattresses.” The respondent reported feeling discriminated against in Sintiki. He explained that following a violent episode between some Egyptian nationals and the police in November 2025, he felt treated differently thereafter despite not being involved in the incident. In his words: “I feel like I’m being discriminated against. [It’s] not [that] just because I’m Egyptian [I would] throw stones at them. [...] Every person is treated differently. There’s no human rights, it’s beyond racism.” He further reported lack of information on his legal situation: “I should be able to access the outside world. They do not give any reason why I’m here. They keep extending my detention, but not giving me any reason. It feels like prison.” He reported one NGO group visiting once a week, but not much results stemming from these visits, while also not being able to access legal assistance due to its high costs.