Not only is the practice of detention concerning due to the unlawful deprivation of a person's
liberty, the conditions of PRDCs have been extensively criticised by civil society actors.[10] The
European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (CPT) has carried out country visits to Greece since 2005, consistently noting the
substandard, often appalling, conditions of PRDCs. Despite the strong recommendations made to
the Greek State post country visits, many issues remain unchanged. In addition, some PRDCs
have not been visited for over five years, failing to follow up on the concerns previously raised. In
2022, the only facilities that the CPT visited and inspected were judicial prisons, for example
Korydallos and Nigrita.[11] Several issues that emerged from the 2022 report are relevant to
PRDCs, including the deterioration of conditions and treatment of detainees, severe lack of
healthcare, and concerning divergence from European standards that pertain to human rights.
These patterns are systematically witnessed in detention facilities across Greece, and require
urgent attention.
Methodology
This report analyses 50 interviews with people who have been detained at some point since 2020
on mainland Greece, as well as including a case register analysis of more than 151 cases. The
research was conducted between April and November 2022, with the aim of investigating the use
and practice of administrative detention on mainland Greece, particularly focusing on access to
asylum procedures and the conditions of PRDCs. We used 46 of the interviews with people in
PRDCs for further analysis. Six PRDCs were specifically researched: Corinth, Amygdaleza, Tavros
(Petrou Ralli), Fylakio, Paranesti (Drama) and Xanthi. However, the distribution of interviews was
not equally spread among each centre due to logistical and geographical constraints. The report
therefore provides more in depth information on some PRDCs than others.
Mobile Info Team undertook in-depth interviews with respondents from Afghanistan, Algeria,
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria and Türkiye, between the ages of 16 and 51
years old. Only one interviewee was female, which is somewhat representative of the gender
ratio of those held in PRDCs in Greece. Therefore, this research is reflective of the situation in
Greece, but does not account for the significant number of women who are also held and
experience detention differently. The interviews were semi-structured, enabling the conversation
to be directed by respondents and their specific situations. Our questions were based on access
to asylum, legal counselling, information, translation, hygiene conditions, basic facilities, medical
and psychological care, access to education or recreational activities, and the practice of protests.
All personal information is kept anonymous, and no personal details are retained from interviews
to protect the identity of individuals, many of whom remain in precarious situations. Carrying out
many of our interviews over the phone resulted in respondents feeling safer to share their
experiences in an anonymous manner. Several respondents also shared visual data regarding the
detention centres that they were held in. Some of these photographs have been anonymously
included throughout the report to provide further evidence on detention conditions.
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