“In Patras, people are generally good. I think they are kind and generous. We have problems with the authorities and the extremists.” “We did not live like this in Afghanistan.” “I believe that dogs have a better luck than us here in Patras.” 28 Incident 2: “The “commandos” beat me once more - this time in front of some other Greeks. It was threefour months ago. It was late at night. They found me hidden inside a truck. Three “commandos” entered in the truck. One stayed outside, in front of the door. We were six persons hiding in that truck. They found only three of us, but they understood there were others hiding. I was among the first three found. They beat me in order to tell them where they could find the others. I went back in the truck and asked the others to come out. I had no choice. We had been badly beaten and when the others came out, they beat us all again. Three “commandos” beat us with their batons. They were beating us that badly, that they started sweating. While I was beaten up, I was shouting: ‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry!’ When the others came out, the “commandos” told me I was good and they let me go. Then they released the other two found with me. The other three were found later on when they stepped out of the truck, and were beaten up badly, too. We could see everything, while standing outside the port. There were some Incident 1: “It happened just yesterday (2.4.12), around 6 doctors in a van, passing by. We told them that or 8 pm. We were in the new port. The “com- the “commandos” had beaten us. They asked mando” found us hiding inside a truck. They me how old I was. I told them I was 16 years old. have dogs, you know. They smell us and bite Then they gave me a paper, stating my age. My our clothes. If we resist coming out from our hand was in pain for two weeks. The doctors hideouts, they order the dogs to bite us. The- bandaged it and gave me some tabs.” re were four “commandos”. They entered the truck. They started kicking and punching us. Incident 3: Then they pulled us out, one by one. They put “A friend of mine, who lives with us was beaplastic handcuffs on us. Two of them brought ten that badly that was full of bruises for two us at the backside of another truck. They made weeks. He does not want to talk about it. He us queue up and then they beat us up one by does not even talk to us about this incident. one – each for a few minutes. Two officers ki- He never went to the hospital. They caught cked me and punched me all over my body and him near the AB Supermarket, close to the rail in my head. Then they asked if we had any do- tracks and beat him black. This happened two weeks ago. Some other guys saw the beating. cuments!” Three to four police officers were beating our friend. His arm was swollen. It turned all blue and black from the beating. He was beaten so badly that he told the officers that he was fainting away and lay down on the ground.” 29