Access to facilities for lawyers The legal framework Article 34 of the Greek Lawyers Code guarantees unrestricted access to public facilities for lawyers upon presentation of their professional ID.⁹⁵ A December 2022 opinion of the Bar Association of Athens clarified that lawyers are permitted free access to facilities accommodating refugees and asylum seekers without prior notification of camp management.⁹⁶ The practice The authorities impose unlawful restrictions on lawyers’ access to Greek reception facilities under the administration of the MoMA by requiring them to submit access requests, which must be approved by the camp management prior to entry.⁹⁷ The Network of Children's Rights reported⁹⁸ that since late 2022 lawyers must provide proof Access to facilities for lawyers of representation of applicants in order to enter facilities run by the MoMA, and in some cases have been denied access to sites on this basis. One lawyer interviewed for this report shared that they were denied access to Diavata RIC by security staff, despite presenting at the facility with two clients who orally expressed authorisation for the lawyer to represent them; in this case, the lawyer had previously contacted the RIC authorities to request entry, but had not received a response to this request. Accessibility of legal services within RICs Access to legal services for applicants deprived of their liberty within RICs is further impacted by the remote locations of the RICs and the distance required for lawyers to travel from the urban centres of Thessaloniki (Diavata RIC) and Athens (Malakasa RIC). According to information provided on the Refugee Info service map , the UNHCR services database, and the website w2eu, there are approximately nine organisations providing free legal assistance and representation to people seeking asylum in Greece within a 50km radius of Diavata RIC, and 16 organisations providing the same services within a similar distance from Malakasa RIC. Organisations are based in the urban centres and on average at a distance of 12km from Diavata RIC and 38km from Malakasa RIC. As one Greek lawyer reported, applicants may be reluctant to attend appointments at the RICs due to the lack of legal help available at the facilities, and the fact that lawyers are unable to travel there on a regular basis. 35