33. In all the various establishments visited, police officers and other staff faced significant difficulties in communicating with detained foreign nationals and in understanding their requests and needs. Staff often had to communicate with the help of detained persons who spoke English or Greek. This also applied to medical consultations. Interpretation services were only guaranteed during the official asylum interview. Further, most detained foreign nationals stated once again that they had signed documents in the Greek language without knowing their content and without having benefitted from the assistance of a qualified interpreter. Indeed, nearly all official documents, including detention and deportation orders, were only available in the Greek language and were usually not translated for the persons concerned. 34. The CPT has long held that foreign nationals deprived of their liberty should receive the assistance of qualified interpreters, where required. The use of fellow detained persons as interpreters is inappropriate and should, in principle, be avoided. It is also recalled that, where there are insufficient interpreters available to cover the required languages, the Greek authorities should explore alternative means of interpretation, such as the use of telephone or videoconferencing interpretation services, which have proven effective in other countries. The CPT reiterates its recommendation once again that all foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation should be provided with access to qualified interpretation services where required, including by means of phone or videoconferencing. To this end, the Greek authorities should make sufficient funding available. Further, detained persons should not be required to sign official documents in a language they do not understand. Instead, they should systematically be provided with a copy of these documents in a language they can understand, or the content should be translated or explained, including for persons who are illiterate. 35. Police officers and management in the police and border guard stations and pre-removal detention centres visited informed the delegation that detained foreign nationals were provided with the information leaflet for detainees (Δ-33β). In this regard, the steps taken by the management in Xanthi PRDC to show an information film in several languages upon arrival, is a welcome initiative. 36. In practice, most detained foreign nationals complained that they were not sufficiently informed of their rights and their situation in a language they could understand. Many persons indicated that they had not received a copy of the information leaflet in a language that they could understand, and that they were completely unaware of why they had been detained and for how long they would remain in detention. Consequently, many persons in the pre-removal detention centres visited complained that they were in a state of uncertainty over their situation, which manifested itself over time in deep frustration. The lack of information increases the anxiety of persons who are already in a vulnerable situation. This was strikingly evident at Athens Airport special holding facility, where the delegation met with several persons who did not speak Greek or English, and who were entirely unaware of their rights and their situation following their recent arrival in Greece. For instance, a Syrian woman who had arrived three days before the visit was in a state of emotional distress as she feared being removed to her country of origin, from which she had fled. The language-barrier and lack of interpretation services available exacerbated her situation and the police officers present were not able to communicate with her. 37. The CPT considers that concerted steps should be taken to ensure that all foreign nationals deprived of their liberty are expressly informed, without delay and in a language and form that they can understand, of their rights, responsibilities and the procedures applicable to them (detention under the pre-removal procedure or the asylum procedure, or for public order grounds). To this end, they should be systematically provided with a document setting out this information, which should be available in the languages most commonly spoken by foreign nationals. The persons concerned should also confirm in writing that they have been informed, in a language that they can understand, of their rights. 13