559416
Testimony- Testimony collected by
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
- Date and location recorded
- 26th September 2023, Thessaloniki, Northern Greece
- Detention centre related
- Detention Centre Country
- Greece 3
- Duration of detention
- 2 - 4 months
- Nationality
- Pakistan
- Age
- 28
- Gender
- Male
- LGBTQI
- No answer
- Type of arrest
- Individual
- Why was the respondent detained?
- Unknown to respondent
- Detained before?
- Unknown
- Was the respondent informed of the duration of detention?
- No
- Did the respondent experience any violence?
- No
- Type of violence experienced
- Not Applicable
- 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?
- No
- 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
- 3
- 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?
- Unknown
- Meal quality
- Satisfactory
- Meal quantity
- Unknown
- 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?
- Unknown
- Had access to laundry?
- Unknown
- Had access to toilet articles?
- Unknown
- Had access to mattress?
- Unknown
- Narrative
The respondent is 28 years old and is from Pakistan. He was reportedly apprehended in Athens and subsequently detained at Petrou Ralli Pre-Removal Detention Centre (PRDC), Amygdaleza PRDC and Corinth PRDC for a period totalling over three months. Upon apprehension, the respondent reported that he showed his valid asylum seeker card to the officers but they apprehended him nonetheless. The respondent was reportedly transported to Petrou Ralli PRDC where he was asked to sign a form written in Greek that he did not understand and he reported that no translation assistance was provided. The respondent reported that the officers working at Petrou Ralli recorded his personal details and took his ID card. The respondent further explained: “If they arrest us, they need to tell us the reason why they arrest us. And when we are to fill in the form, they should translate it. They just make us sign and put us in the jail. Without any reason, with documents which were not expired.” After 2-3 hours at Petrou Ralli, the respondent was reportedly transferred along with approximately 10 other people to Amygdaleza PRDC. During the journey which lasted approximately two and a half hours the officers driving the vehicle reportedly treated them “like we are criminals.” The respondent spent one and a half months in Amygdaleza PRDC where he submitted his asylum application. He highlighted the lack of available medical care at the PRDC as “the main issue” there. He was subsequently transported to Corinth PRDC without being provided with a reason for his transfer. The respondent described the conditions at Corinth as cramped and unhygienic. “We have the issue that there are 2-3 people in one room, and it’s not like we can go out from our room at any time. We have some hours that we can go out. It’s not very clean.” The respondent reported that the authorities at Corinth confiscated his ID card on arrival but he was allowed to keep his phone with him. He was reportedly not informed about the length of his detention by the authorities. The respondent explained that he needed a lawyer in order to appeal his detention but struggled with finding one. “I need someone to help me from outside [the PRDC], I don’t have any friends who can help me with this.”