Case studies: screening and registration of vulnerable people on the mainland Interviews conducted evidence the highly irregular practice in relation to screening and registration of vulnerable people on the mainland: A single mother waited 2 months for a registration appointment at Malakasa RIC along with her daughter and reported that she was only able to flag her vulnerability to the authorities and avoid the de facto detention up to 25 days due to the assistance of a lawyer; during the time of her registation she reported feeling suicidal and unsafe at Malakasa RIC. A single father of a 17 year-old girl with a serious heart condition reported that they were transferred as part of a group of arrivals at sea directly to Malakasa RIC without undergoing any vulnerability screening, and detained there for 22 days. A 55 year-old man with a medical vulnerability applied for an appointment at Diavata in September 2022 and was given an appointment in January 2023, and had to travel 7 hours by bus to the appointment and cover the costs by himself; he additionally reported that he would have booked an appointment at Malakasa RIC if he had received more information about the locations of the facilities. In the absence of a formal system for identification of vulnerable cases, and provision of appropriate protections, vulnerable applicants additionally face the risk of arbitrary arrest and detention. One respondent, a highly vulnerable man from Sudan who is a victim of torture, was apprehended by the Hellenic Police at Malakasa RIC and subsequently detained, after he spontaneously presented at the facility for registration without an appointment receipt. At the time of his arrival in Greece, there was no possibility to request an appointment for registration at a mainland RIC due to an upgrade of the GAS computer system - let alone flag his vulnerability to the authorities to prioritise his case. Lawyers additionally reported receiving inconsistent and confusing information from the authorities regarding how people with a recognised vulnerability should register. In some cases, the practice directly contradicted information received from the authorities. The absence of screening in the appointment booking form puts already vulnerable applicants at risk of further harm and has been consistently raised by CSOs⁶³ since the very first day of appointments at the mainland RICs and subsequently by both Greek⁶⁴ and international⁶⁵ civil society groups. “With unofficial information you don’t really create a system, you just have lucky people and unlucky ones.” Greek legal practitioner 25