(G) Living conditions in the RICs Under Greek law applicants undergoing screening should be provided with decent living conditions (Art. 44, 4939/222). However respondents frequently reported poor conditions in the RICs, resulting in a significant impact on their psychological well being, including cases of retraumatisation as a result of prison-like facilities. (i) Accommodation According to the MoMA¹⁰¹ applicants at the RICs are hosted in ‘specially designed accommodation facilities’. On the official webpage for Diavata RIC the MoMA lists ‘cleaning services’ among the support offered to residents there.¹⁰² Nonetheless, 21% of respondents specifically mentioned unhygienic conditions within accommodation facilities at Diavata and Malakasa RICs, with a higher proportion reporting substandard cleanliness at Diavata, including reports of extremely dirty conditions in accommodation containers and mould on mattresses provided to residents (see picture supplied by respondent below). Respondents reported being held in containers which were dusty and in some cases had clothes and food remains from previous residents. A 22 year-old man from Iraq reported overcrowded conditions in his container at Malakasa RIC: “We are eight people in one container. The container has one room and one bathroom. So there are four people sitting in one room - there is no privacy.” Two respondents held at Malakasa and Diavata specifically reported that there was not sufficient air conditioning in their containers to mitigate the impacts of the heatwave in Greece during summer 2023. A respondent with a psychological vulnerability reported that he was placed in a container at Malakasa RIC with people with whom he could not communicate and consequently felt lonely and isolated. The respondent reportedly requested to be placed in a container with a person who shared his nationality and language so he could have someone to talk to, however he reported that the authorities refused to carry out his request. Accommodation containers at Malakasa RIC. Photograph by interview respondent. 37