Lack of information, interpreters, and legal counseling Any person shall, at the moment of arrest and at the commencement of detention or imprisonment, or promptly thereafter, be provided by the authority responsible for his arrest, detention or imprisonment, respectively with information on and an explanation of his rights and how to avail himself of such rights… A person who does not adequately understand or speak the language used by the authorities responsible for his arrest, detention or imprisonment is entitled to receive promptly [the information] in a language which he understands. Principles 13 and 14, UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment In the detention centers, new arrivals receive no or inadequate information about their legal status and their rights, including the possibility to apply for asylum or to appeal against their detention in a court of law. Migrants are also not informed about the detention system and the length of detention. There are no interpreters in the detention centers. “We were told we were coming to a camp. This is not a camp, this is a prison. Why are we here? We are not criminals. What law have we broken?” Afghan man, in his early twenties No free legal counseling is offered by the state. In addition there are no NGOs or international organizations that offer legal services to asylum seekers in regions such as Evros, where many of the migrants and asylum seekers first arrive. Written information about asylum procedures was available in several languages; however this was not systematically distributed and furthermore was not up to date with the current legislation. Police in the detention centers were often not able or trained to give accurate information to the migrants about their legal status and length of detention. Migrants told us that, in response to questions about their release date, police answered that they would be released in the following days when in fact this turned out to be wrong. The lack of information and the resulting uncertainty created a lot of anxiety and feelings of despair. 15 I am here for 4 months and 20 days. The other men that arrived with me have been released and I am still here. The police keep saying that I will be released. I have been through a lot and I do not trust them anymore. I do not believe that they will release me ever. Maybe they will take me from here and put me in another prison. I do not know what to do anymore. Iraqi man, in his early twenties In the three detention centers where MSF worked there were no interpreters. The lack of interpretation services made it extremely difficult for migrants to communicate with the staff of the detention centers. Communication obstacles were extremely frustrating both for the migrants and the staff. MSF teams observed that communication and cultural barriers were often quite significant and played an important role in creating tensions between detained migrants and detention center staff. Moreover the lack of interpreters put serious constraints on the daily work of the staff in the centers. For example the absence of interpretation services makes screening to assess the vulnerability of individuals extremely difficult. Due to the lack of appropriate information and the absence of legal counseling and interpretation services, many people in need of international protection do not receive any support. Very few people manage to apply for asylum while in the detention centers.38 MSF observed also that of those few who do apply many stopped the procedure once they realized that they were likely to be detained for longer, while their application was being examined. Moreover, migrants do not receive information about their legal status after leaving the detention centers. Migrants who are released and have not applied for asylum are given an order to leave the country within 30 days.39 However, most migrants do not understand the content of that paper, because it is written in Greek and the information is not translated to them. Access to telephones is restricted. In Venna and Pagani detention centers migrants could use the card pay phones located in the yard whenever they were allowed to go outside. In Filakio detention center there is a telephone booth that can be accessed by migrants only when the police allow them to do so.