The respondent is 22-years-old and from Egypt. He presented himself at a police station in Heraklion, Crete with a group of approximately 80 others, after making an unplanned emergency stop due to a problem with the boat in which they were travelling. The respondent was detained at Amygdaleza PRDC for 53 days and subsequently at Corinth PRDC for 7 months. He applied for asylum at Amygdaleza PRDC but was rejected. He lodged an appeal while at Corinth PRDC (in February 2024), which was also rejected. The respondent reported on a lack of adequate legal support and translation at all stages of his detention and transfer, as well as a lack of information about his detention and the arbitrary decisions about the length of his detention. He stated that he was required to sign documents in a language that he didn’t understand, without a translator present and that his period of detention was extended without any reason given. At Amygdaleza PRDC, the respondent reported that the conditions were inadequate, including unhygienic living conditions “[the rooms were] full of insects, not clean” and a lack of medical care “ If you ask for a doctor, they always tell you “tomorrow, tomorrow” but they never show up”. The respondent reported that he was transferred to Corinth PRDC from Amygdaleza PRDC, without warning, preparation or any explanation.
He described the living conditions at Corinth PRDC as “disgusting” and stated that the only way to protest about the conditions and detention itself was to go on hunger strike, as there are no other effective channels to express grievances. He stated that the nutrition was inadequate and that access to medical care was restricted. He further reported that he had heard of physical violence inflicted on detainees who complained about a lack of medical care and had also witnessed physical violence by police or facility staff.