zone described a similar practice: they were called outside their rooms to be counted several times a day (including at night), where they were told to stand in line, after which they would be called back inside the container, one by one, to be beaten by a group of three men. 153 One was standing outside the room on the aisle, and two were inside the room. I was the second one who entered the room. I was pushed inside. The one outside the room kicked me inside. He pushed me and held me here [the respondent shows his neck/lower part of the back of his head] to push me inside. He pushed me by the neck and kicked me inside. When they called me inside, they started punching me [...] beat me, slap me and told me to sit down in the room until they finished with the others. It lasted for some minutes, I don’t know exactly how long. They hit me on the sides, the head. 154 _____ (2) Mainland: RICs of Diavata and Malakasa All respondents in MIT/RLS’s 2023 research reported that they were not provided deprivation of liberty orders in a language they could understand.155 In addition, they were not informed of their right to appeal the deprivation of liberty. Further, BVMN testimonies from people who had been administratively detained report incidents of being forced to sign legal documents without a 156 translator. On the length of the de facto detention in the two mainland RICs of Malakasa and Diavata, MIT/RLS’s research found that 50% of respondents were detained for more than two 157 weeks and in one case the respondent was unlawfully detained for 28 days in Malakasa RIC. In addition to the unlawful implementation of restriction of movement orders in RICs, respondents detailed the profound psychological impact of the deprivation of liberty during reception and identification procedures. MIT/RLS research indicated that applicants are detained in pre-removal facilities and police stations on the mainland on the grounds of staying illegally in Greek territory, even in cases 159 where they have shown proof of an appointment booking at a RIC. 158 This is contrary to EU and Greek law 160 which provides that third country nationals who have expressed their wish to apply for international protection should be recognised as applicants and therefore benefit from protection and reception conditions. The arbitrary arrest and detention of applicants with registration appointments was also raised by GCR, particularly while the online platform was suspended between May and August 2023.161 At least eight Greek Administrative Court 162 Decisions have ruled on the illegality of this practice, yet the authorities continue to not comply 163 with these rulings. Rather, the authorities have requested withdrawal of the first of the judgments.164 ________________________________ 153. Ibid. 154. Ibid. 155. Mobile Info Team. 2023. Protection Unavailable: Dysfunctional Practices and Restrictions on the Right to Asylum. Available at: https://www.mobileinfoteam.org/ric. 156. Border Violence Monitoring Network. 2023. Illegal Pushbacks and Border Violence Reports: Balkan Region April 2023. Available at: https://borderviolence.eu/app/uploads/Copy-of-Monthly-Report-April-1.pdf. 157. Ibid. 158. Mobile Info Team. 2023. Protection Unavailable: Dysfunctional Practices and Restrictions on the Right to Asylum. Available at: https://www.mobileinfoteam.org/ric. 159. Recital 27 and Article 2(b), Directive 2013/32/EU. 160. Article 69, Greek Law 4939/2022. 161. Greek Council for Refugees. 2023. Updates from the field. Available at: https://us10.campaign-archive.com/?e= [UNIQID]&u=7346a646b420e94f44f69445d&id=77b8e42982. 162. Greek Council for Refugees. 2023. Administrative courts: The detention of asylum seekers pending full registration, to whom the Ministry of Immigration & Asylum does not recognize the status of applicant, is illegal. Available at: https://www.gcr.gr/en/news/pressreleases-announcements/item/2121-detention-of-asylum-seekers-whose-status-as-an-applicant-is-not-recognized-by-the-departmentof-immigration-asylum-is-again-illegal. 163. Refugee Support Aegean and PRO-ASYL. 2023. ‘The state of the Greek asylum system, twelve years since M.S.S.’ RSA & Stiftung PRO ASYL Submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the cases of M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece & Rahimi v. Greece. Available at: https://rsaegean.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/RSA_PRO-ASYL_MSS_2023_Submission.pdf. 164. Refugee Support Aegean, HIAS Greece, Greek Council for Refugees. 2023. Greek Asylum Case Law Report, Issue 1/2023. Available at: https://rsaegean.org/en/greek-asylum-case-law-report-issue1-2023/. 18