Malakasa Reception and Identification Centre

Detention centre
Summary

Malakasa RIC (Κ.Υ.Τ. Μαλακάσας in Greek) is one of two facilities responsible for the reception and identification of asylum seekers present on the Greek mainland. The site began operations as a RIC on 1st September 2022 and is located 1 km from Malakasa reception facility, a larger accommodation structure for registered asylum seekers. Third country nationals undergoing screening at Malakasa RIC are subjected to de facto detention measures for a period of up to 25 days.

Country
Coordinates

Latitude: 38.243972

Longitude: 23.787234

Coordinates
address
Gerakini military camp, 19011, Malakasa, Greece
Location area
Rural
Phone number to contact
213 138 5000 (RIC Director)
Controlled by
  • Ministry of Migration & Asylum of Greece
Founded by
  • Ministry of Migration & Asylum of Greece
Date opened
31st August 2022
Status
Operational
Type of Facility
RIC (Reception & Identification)
Gender
Mixed
Age
Mixed
Number of guards
No information available
Population demographics
TCN
Analysis on Demographics

A Greek Ombudsperson reporton reception conditions (March 2024) records the following demographics present at Malakasa RIC/CAFTA: families, single women, single men

Accommodation
Isobox/container, shared

Malakasa RIC started operations in September 2022 and was established on a pre-existing site which had been functioning as a reception facility for registered applicants since March 2020, named ‘New Malakasa’. Malakasa RIC is situated in a rural location, 42 km from Athens. Both the RIC and Malakasa CAFTA, a facility for registered asylum seekers located 1 km from the RIC, are built on a former military base, Gerakini. Conditions at New Malakasa were consistently reported as poor by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and civil society organisations. The physical composition and infrastructures of the site underwent significant changes before starting operations as a RIC in September 2022.

In September 2022, the Greek government implemented significant changes to the asylum system on the mainland. Stateless persons and third country nationals on the mainland, Rhodes or Crete, who were not already identified, had to undergo reception and identification procedures at one of two new screening facilities (RICs), located at Malakasa and Diavata, close to Athens and Thessaloniki respectively. Malakasa and Diavata began operating in September 2022 and were formally established as RICs in mid-November 2022 through a Presidential Decree.

The new Malakasa RIC was established on the same site as the accommodation facility for asylum seekers. Third country nationals entering the RIC undergo a screening procedure consisting of a police interview, vulnerability assessment, medical check and registration of an asylum claim. Under Greek law, an applicant can be subject to a deprivation of liberty for a maximum of 25 days, while undergoing reception and identification procedures. This deprivation of liberty has been routinely practiced at Malakasa since September 2022, which as highlighted by the Greek Ombudsperson was before its formal establishment as a RIC, and therefore lacked a legal basis.

Additionally, there have been multiple reports of violations relating to the deprivation of liberty. Mobile Info Team (MIT) and Refugee Legal support (RLS) and the Greek Ombudsperson have reported complaints that the restriction of freedom has been imposed without the issuance of a relevant decision, detainees experienced a lack of information and one case was highlighted where someone was deprived of liberty for 28 days, exceeding the legal maximum. In addition to these concerns, there have also been reports of vulnerable applicants who have presented at Malakasa RIC and subsequently arrested and detained in pre-removal detention.

Appointments for registration at Malakasa RIC can only be accessed via an online platform on the Migration Ministry’s website which launched in July 2022. Since the beginning, as reported by civil society organisations including Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), the platform has been consistently plagued by technical problems and long delays. The Greek Ombudsperson has noted that at Malakasa RIC in particular, there have been significant backlogs of appointment requests, leading to appointments scheduled far into the future and delays, a situation exacerbated by chronic staff shortages at the facility. According to the Ombudsperson, in the first half of 2023, an average of 30 people were registered per day at Malakasa RIC.

Despite some material changes to the structure of the facility after its designation as a RIC, the material conditions of the site reportedly continue to be inadequate. A visit from the Greek Ombudsperson in 2023 highlighted multiple issues relating to legal support, access to healthcare and material conditions at the facility.

The RIC's physical structure comprises a services area and an accommodation area which are separated by an internal fence. Residents are accommodated in isobox containers which are shared by approximately 8 people with only one bathroom. Research by MIT and RLS (2023) reported on the dirty and unhygienic conditions, and a lack of provision of basic items, with some not being given a towel, toothbrush or soap for the first week. Facilities for families were described as inadequate with insufficient educational provisions and safe and age-appropriate spaces for children to play. Food is provided by a catering company, distributed daily and consists of three pre-prepared meals and drinking water. It has been reported to be sufficient in quantity, but low quality and lacking in variety. As reported by MIT and RLS, one person undergoing de facto detention at the RIC explained that because of dietary requirements (vegan), he received the same meal 3 times a day.

Type of surveillance
  • Video
Allowed entry/exit?
Allowed, controlled
Use of biometric data collection
  • EURODAC
  • Surveillance
Analysis on Surveillance

Malakasa RIC and its residents are controlled by multiple surveillance systems. The facility is surrounded by a NATO-type double security fence and CCTV is installed at both the perimeter and the gate. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum states on its website that RIC's CCTV system utilises ‘smart’ software which can warn of emergency events and send notifications and images to the local events centre, control centre in Athens and control centres of other institutions. The facility has large turnstile doors that are used by both residents and employees for entry and exit purposes. In addition to this, there are X-ray machines, magnetic gates and a two-factor entry control system (ID and fingerprint). Greek police are responsible for security at the facility, with some duties assigned to private companies.

Facility provision of legal services
No
Facility provision of medical assistance
Yes, limited
Facility provision of interpretation
Upon request
Number of meals provided
3 per day
Use of private security
Yes
NGO visits
No visits
Monitoring visits
Frequent
Analysis on Services and Rights

UNHCR makes twice-weekly visits to Malakasa RIC, during which they deliver information sessions for applicants upon arrival. These sessions include information on reception and identification procedures, asylum procedures, rights and obligations, access to material support and vulnerabilities. However, MIT and RLS reported in 2023 on multiple shortcomings regarding the provision of information and legal support to applicants at Malakasa. Residents interviewed by MIT and RLS described their main source of information as the RIC translators working in the facility, which resulted in them feeling uninformed about their rights. Additionally, the Greek Ombudsperson reported in 2024, that in mainland RICs there were no organisations present to consistently and regularly provide legal information throughout all stages of the asylum procedure.

Vulnerability assessments, a key procedure of the reception and identification procedure for ensuring protections for vulnerable asylum applicants, have been reported to be unsatisfactory. MIT and RLS documented the concerns of Greek lawyers who have found them to often be incomplete, rushed and carried out by staff who do not have the necessary training and capacity to assess vulnerability. These inadequacies in assessments and the subsequent follow-up procedures have left vulnerable applicants at significant risk, and there have been multiple reports of vulnerable applicants being detained in Malakasa RIC sometimes without having had a full vulnerability assessment.

The Greek Ombudsperson found following a visit in 2023 that in the combined medical provision to the Malakasa CAFTA and RIC there were considerable shortages. Particularly highlighting a deficit of syrups, psychiatric drugs, antibiotics (especially for children) and injectable drugs for diabetics and chronic patients. Transfer to the hospital, except for emergencies, was found to be carried out on an ad hoc basis and on occasion the transfer had been completed by taxi financed by MSF. They found that on the day of inspection doctors who were on both planned and unplanned leave did not have a replacement. They did however positively note the presence of a midwife at Malakasa RIC.

These findings have been corroborated by research conducted by MIT and RLS in 2023 which found that although all participants in the research underwent a medical check as a part of the reception and identification procedure at Malakasa RIC, follow-up treatments tended to be lacking. In particular, it was reported that there were insufficient translation services for medical appointments, rushed medical checks, lack of follow-up treatments and severely limited access to psychologists. In Malakasa physical access to medical services was highlighted as particularly problematic. Respondents reported feeling isolated in the accommodation section of the RIC and described not being able to freely access medical services, partly due to the internal fence separating the accommodation area from services within the facility.

Pushbacks reported
No information available
Analysis on staff-detainee relationships

Following a 2023 visit, the Greek Ombudsperson reported significant staff shortages at Malakasa RIC, noting that during their visit the Reception and Identification Service employed 28 staff members at the RIC, and that only one-tenth of the staff at the facility were permanent. MIT and RLS reported that residents had described challenges in relationships with staff, highlighting cases where reasonable requests were ignored and dismissed. In one such case a resident reported that he asked to be accommodated with people who shared his nationality and language, as he had been housed with people whom he could not communicate with and was feeling isolated, however, his requests were ignored. Another respondent reported that he did not feel comfortable disclosing his vulnerability to staff at Malakasa during his detention at the facility.

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