(B) Detention of vulnerable applicants Restriction of movement is applied as a blanket measure to third country nationals undergoing reception and identification procedures in Greece, including vulnerable persons. Only unaccompanied minors are exempt from the procedure, meaning that people with a disability, pregnant women, victims of human trafficking, people with serious illnesses and torture survivors, among others, are subjected to de facto detention within the RICs for periods up to 25 days (and in practice possibly longer). This practice is particularly concerning given the inadequacy of vulnerability assessments in the screening process (see section 5(C)), and the lack of psychosocial support available to applicants during their detention (see section 5(F)), meaning that vulnerable persons are not ensured access to specialised support guaranteed under law (Art. 22, 2013/33/EU). Interviews with respondents and Greek lawyers indicate that there is no uniformity in the procedure for registering vulnerable cases in the mainland RICs, effectively leading to a two-tier system whereby applicants who are represented by a lawyer receive preferential treatment. In two cases where a vulnerable person was represented by a lawyer this resulted in prioritisation of their case, with registration happening either on the same day as entry to the RIC or the following day, and the applicant was released immediately following registration. This was the case for two respondents with vulnerabilities, a single pregnant woman with one child, and a single mother with mental health challenges. However, both respondents reported that even travelling to their appointment presented significant challenges. “The weather was really cold at the beginning, and they told us that we had to stay up to 25 days in Malakasa. So, it was a very depressing and stressful situation for me. Without [my lawyer’s] help it would have been very difficult for me to even imagine staying in that place for 25 days. It was a very insecure place for me, I never felt safe. If I stayed there without any support or my lawyer, I would have suffered every day. My mental health issues would have worsened, and I would have thought: ‘This is the end of it’.” Female respondent from Afghanistan, 29 years (C) Vulnerability screenings Article 41 of Greek law 4939/2022 foresees detection of vulnerabilities and the provision of necessary specialised treatment or support as a core stage of the reception and identification procedure. According to information published by the MoMA, and in accordance with Article 44(d) of the law, vulnerable individuals are identified during the medical check stage, and subsequently receive the appropriate treatment, and special care is taken by the authorities “to ensure to the extent possible that such persons remain at the Reception and Identification Centre [...] in special and accessible premises”⁹¹ and their support needs are met. 32