The prefect announced that the centre should be opened within two months. However, in the end, it all depends on the decisions taken by the two Ministries involved. The realisation of this new centre has taken several years. According to the prefect, the national authorities have not been very supportive considering the urgent need of having a new centre on Samos. The 'old' Centre on Samos, currently in use The building is a disused cigarette factory and dates back to 1928. Following a brief presentation, the delegation was given unrestricted access to the detention facilities inside. In general they keep around 200-400 people in the building. At the time of our visit 115 detainees were present, which seems already too much. The detainees were all male. Although this was not previously the case, women and children (if present) are now being kept separately. According to the authorities, detainees do receive information on how to seek asylum, but tend not to apply. There is one lawyer available for the centre, partly financed by Equal funding. The prefect experiences insufficient support of the national authorities. And indeed, one cannot make him responsible for operating the centre without equipping him with sufficient means. In general the conditions can be described as squalid, deplorable and inhuman. The prefect stated that detainees are destroying the building. According to the prefect every two or three months plumbing and electricity are being renewed. Having seen the building one wonders what is left to destroy. Destructive behaviour could well be explained by the conditions in which these people are being kept. The centre was indeed in a serious state of disrepair to the extent of representing a hazard to detainees. The walls were covered by graffiti and full of holes. Big chunks of plaster and cement from the ceiling had fallen down. The floor was filthy and there was visible evidence of vermin and rubbish strewn everywhere. Even with 115 persons presently detained, it was also extremely overcrowded with dirty and unhygienic conditions throughout. The air quality was poor and conditions damp and humid. There were no facilities for leisure or dining. The only real furniture seemed to be dirty mattresses and some bunk beds in a number of rooms, clearly not enough for everybody. The detainees sleep in extremely cramped and dirty conditions. The bathroom facilities without doors, to be shared by men and women, were in such a state of disrepair to be practically unusable. The bathroom area was immersed in 1cm or so of running water/sewerage and was extremely dirty. Broken cisterns/plumbing was literally hanging off the wall and it was hard to discern a functioning toilet or shower. Conditions were completely degrading and unsanitary. Furthermore, the centre is clearly understaffed - just 2 police officers on regular duty (reportedly, up to five when meals are distributed), 1 doctor, no psychologist, 1 social worker (recently), lack of interpreters (even during our visit) -. Some inmates complained of being abused/beaten by border police when apprehended. In order to make a phone call they have to bribe the guard, so we were told by a number of detainees. The main remedy for sick people is aspirin as there is hardly any medical equipment available at the centre. Due to a lack of guards it is not possible to transport people to the hospital. And if it would be possible to organise proper transport, the hospital has not sufficient capacity to deal with it. Physical complaints are often related to mental conditions. Everybody who has visited the centre understands why. PV\675423EN.doc 5/16 PE 392.010v02-00 EN