Immigration detention in 2022: Sharp rise in detention orders, no access to remedies and legal aid in Greece Key figures Deportations & returns ❖ The Hellenic Police issued 30,631 detention orders, of which 16,977 in return procedures (Return Directive), 7,081 in deportation procedures (derogation from the Return Directive), and 6,573 in the asylum procedure (Reception Conditions Directive). ❖ Detention was applied in 99.7% of a total of 7,103 deportation decisions, as opposed to 64.5% of 26,338 return decisions. Review of deportation & return decisions ❖ Only 450 removal decisions (1.3% of the total) were challenged by an administrative appeal before the Hellenic Police. ❖ The Hellenic Police granted only 12 out of 450 appeals (2.7%). ❖ No free legal assistance was provided in 2022 for detention or return proceedings. Judicial review of detention ❖ 5,011 objections against detention were lodged with the administrative courts. Most of those were filed at the Administrative Court of Athens (2,827). ❖ The administrative courts granted 40% of objections. However, in the context of ex officio review under the same standards, the same courts quashed only 0.3% of detention orders. Detention conditions ❖ 2,813 people were held in detention at the end of the year. Of those, 316 were detained in police stations. ❖ The total number of staff deployed in pre-removal detention centres throughout Greece was 37, including administrative staff and interpreters. This Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) policy note analyses immigration detention statistics for 2022, as made available in response to parliamentary questions in March 2023. Persisting systematic use of detention The Hellenic Police issued a total of 30,631 detention orders in 2022, a 46% increase from 21,044 detention orders in 2021. 1 RSA POLICY NOTE │ 2023