067523
Testimony- Testimony collected by
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
- Date and location recorded
- 17th March 2023, Thessaloniki, Northern Greece
- Detention centre related
- Detention Centre Country
- Greece 3
- Duration of detention
- 12 - 18 months
- Nationality
- Pakistan
- Age
- 28
- Gender
- Male
- LGBTQI
- No answer
- Type of arrest
- Individual
- Why was the respondent detained?
- Undocumented
- Detained before?
- Unknown
- Was the respondent informed of the duration of detention?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent experience any violence?
- Yes
- Type of violence experienced
- Blunt instrument
- Physical violence
- Verbal insult
- Was the respondent forced to sign documents?
- Yes, in Greek
- Did the respondent have access to translation?
- No
- Did the respondent have access to medical aid?
- Yes, limited
- Did the respondent have access to NGOs?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent have access to legal support?
- No
- Did the respondent apply for asylum?
- Yes
- Appealed?
- Unknown
- Number detained in cell
- 10+
- Number detainees sharing WC
- Unknown
- Hygiene rating
- Very poor
- Type of cell
- Room, shared
- Had access to phone?
- Yes, own
- Had access to WiFi?
- Unknown
- Ventilation
- Unknown
- Participated in hunger strike / protest?
- Unknown
- Had conflicts with other detainees?
- Witnessed
- Meal quality
- Very poor
- Meal quantity
- 3 per day, in PRDC
- Had access to water?
- Unknown
- Had access to outdoor space?
- Unknown
- Had access to educational resources?
- Unknown
- Had access to religious space?
- Unknown
- Had access to electricity?
- Unknown
- Had access to bed?
- Individual
- Had access to laundry?
- Unknown
- Had access to toilet articles?
- Provided, limited
- Had access to mattress?
- Unknown
- Narrative
The respondent is 28 years old and is from Pakistan. He was apprehended in Athens and detained for one night in Petrou Ralli PRDC, then subsequently for three months in Amygdaleza PRDC and for 12 months in Corinth PRDC. He was arrested due to being undocumented. At Petrou Ralli, the respondent had his fingerprints and photograph taken, and his mobile was confiscated for the duration of his detention there. He was forced to sign documents written in Greek without the help of a translator and was not provided with a reason for his apprehension and detention in a language he could understand. At Amygdaleza, the respondent had his phone returned. He was then transferred to Corinth PRDC, where his fingerprints were taken for a second time. The officers at Corinth reportedly frequently used abusive language towards detainees and beat them. The respondent added that officers used their personal phones to take videos of detainees. He explained: “We didn’t ask them why they were taking the videos because they beat us a lot and we don’t want them to beat us again if we ask these types of questions”. He further reported: “I didn’t do any crime. They behaved like we are criminals, like I’m a murderer or a very big criminal. They [were] shouting and screaming at me. They used batons and said ‘go and sit’, that kind of stuff". He was held in a room with 11 other people in extremely dirty conditions. The food provided to detainees was very poor quality and the respondent reported his belief that there were sleeping pills in the meals due to the lethargy felt by detainees after eating. There was no psychologist present at the facility and although there was a doctor, the treatment provided was minimal. There were reportedly many CCTV cameras in the facility.