The respondent is a 23-year-old man from Morocco. On 24th January 2024 he was reportedly apprehended in Thessaloniki by officers wearing civil clothing. He presented his asylum seeker card which had reportedly expired and was subsequently taken to a police station in the city and body searched. He was then taken to a second police station and searched again, before being transferred to the Metagogon Transfer Facility. On the fourth day in Metagogon, the respondent was escorted to the Asylum Office where he received a rejection of his asylum claim. He was held in Metagogon for 50 days and then transferred to Paranesti Pre-Removal Detention Centre and held for several months. He was not informed of the reason for his detention.

The respondent described the treatment in Metagogon as ‘inhuman’. He reportedly shared a room with four others which was approximately 15 square metres. There were no beds, only mattresses and blankets which had bedbugs. The room had natural light and some ventilation through two windows. Four detainees shared one toilet and a broken shower. The respondent reported a lack of access to water and electricity for extended time periods. He further explained that the heaters were not turned on and the cold made him sick. For medical conditions, only paracetamol was given to detainees. Detainees were given €5.85 a day which could purchase 3 small sandwiches. Basic items such as toilet paper, soap, bottled water and cleaning products were not provided and had to be purchased. There was no access to the outdoors. For the 50 days the respondent was detained at Metagogon he was allowed out of his cell once to attend the Asylum Office. There was no formal provision of translation services. He described being verbally abused by staff.

At Paranesti PRDC the respondent shared a room with 6 others who were all from Morocco. In this room, there were 5 bunk beds, one fridge, two toilets, one shower and one sink. Each detainee had a mattress and a blanket which had bed bugs. It was cleaned 3 times per week. The respondent described long waiting times to see a doctor. He was aware of several other detainees who attempted suicide.