861558
Testimony- Testimony collected by
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
- Date and location recorded
- 2026
- Detention centre related
- Detention Centre Country
- Greece 2
- Duration of detention
- 2 - 4 months
- Gender
- Male
- Type of arrest
- Individual
- Why was the respondent detained?
- Illegal entry
- Detained before?
- No
- Was the respondent informed of the duration of detention?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent have access to translation?
- No
- Did the respondent have access to medical aid?
- Yes, but insufficient
- Did the respondent apply for asylum?
- Yes
- Appealed?
- Unknown
- Number detained in cell
- 4
- Number detainees sharing WC
- 10+
- Hygiene rating
- Very poor
- Type of cell
- Cell, shared
- Had access to phone?
- Yes, own
- Had access to WiFi?
- Yes, paid
- Ventilation
- A/C
- Meal quality
- Very poor
- Meal quantity
- Not sufficient
- Had access to water?
- Tap
- Had access to mattress?
- Yes
- Link to external source
- Detailed testimony available on the BVMN database
- Narrative
The respondent reported being arrested upon arrival in Greece by plane, and detained for two weeks within an airport. He reported being transferred to Amygdaleza PRDC where he was detained for one month. The respondent reported being held in an overcrowded container and having to sleep in an unused bathroom and on the floor of the container due to lack of beds for approximately one week. The container was described as unsanitary, due to presence of cockroaches and flies and lack of cleaning staff. Frequent water cuts further prevented detainees from maintaining good hygiene. The respondent described being provided by a filthy mattress and an old blanket upon arrival, and no personal hygiene items. The food provided in Amygdaleza was described as poor in quality and quantity, and the distribution schedule irregular. The respondent explained being denied his requests for information about asylum procedures for almost three weeks before finally being able to make an application for international protection. The general lack of information provision in Amygdaleza reportedly caused severe psychological distress among detainees. The respondent was transferred to Corinth PRDC four days before his asylum interview was supposed to take place. He was therefore unable to attend the interview at the date scheduled initially, and provided information about the next steps of his procedures only at a later stage, after his transfer. The respondent explained that each cell in the Corinth facility was detaining four people. Air conditioning was reportedly insufficient to cover the needs of all cells. The respondent reported the presence of large amounts of cockroaches and bedbugs in his cell, preventing detainees from sleeping at night. Requests for help from the authorities to get rid of them were reportedly ignored. The lights inside the cells were reportedly turned on every evening at 8 p.m. and remained on throughout the night, with no possibility for detainees to switch them off, further exacerbating difficulties in sleeping. The respondent described the mattress he had to sleep on as old and dirty, and an insufficient number of hygiene facilities, with one toilet and one shower shared between 12-13 detainees. He reported that frequent water cuts forced detainees to collect water in buckets in order to be able to wash without interruption. Those cuts reportedly also affected detainees’ ability to access drinking water, and requests to fix this issue were ignored by authorities. The respondent reported contracting scabies due to the unsanitary conditions in the facility, and explained facing difficulties in accessing healthcare due to the lack of interpretation during consultation with the doctor in the facility. Mentioning a consultation during which he was able to communicate with the doctor, the respondent reported being told that the treatment for his condition was unavailable, and that he needed to take care of his hygiene conditions himself to avoid getting skin diseases.