The respondent is a man from Iran, of undisclosed age, who was detained for a period of approximately 15 months from late 2024 to early 2026. For the majority of this time, he was detained in the Corinth Pre-Removal Detention Centre (PRDC), but spent at least one month in 2025 detained in Athens at the Petrou Ralli (Tavros) PRDC.

The respondent reported serving a sentence of five years in two different criminal prisons prior to his administrative detention. He reported being transferred in late 2024 from prison to a police station in Kato Achaia where he was held for 18 days before being detained in Corinth PRDC.

Corinth PRDC reportedly housed 5-6 people per room during the man’s time at the facility, with almost no access to electricity and each space separated by a thin wall. Because of this, he said the centre provided no privacy, which led to conflict between people trying to sleep and those taking phone calls.

These fights reportedly provoked violence from the authorities, with the respondent describing occasions when officers “hit us together”, injured a man and isolated him, and confiscated detainees’ phones to prevent them filming violent incidents. Officers also took away phones as a punishment for perceived misbehaviour, he reported.

He described the centre as crowded and dirty, reporting there to be no bathroom, shower, or toilet with running water – just an empty room. When it was windy, the toilet room stench spread across the centre and “everyone had headaches from the smell”, he said.

It was reportedly only possible to see a doctor at Corinth PRDC if a person lodged an appointment request with a detention officer with approval dependent on an individual officer’s decision. The respondent suggested some 90% of requests received no reply. When appointments were granted, people reportedly, in the majority of cases, received only painkillers irrespective of their complaint. The respondent said the doctors had “lots of pills” but felt these medications were deliberately withheld due to “racism, fascism”, and a belief that everyone in the centre complains and lies about their state of health.

The doctors initially refused to let a man with kidney stones go to hospital. They capitulated however when a group, including the respondent, refused to return inside their rooms until the man was transferred to hospital.

Breakfasts at the facility were reportedly very small and most meals provided were described as inedible with people experiencing stomach issues due to undercooked rice and meat or because food had been left out in the heat. Drinking water was said to be salty.

The man participated in a hunger strike with three other people during his detention due to the length of their detention, the reported overcrowding, and the insufficient food. After four days of strike, he said they were taken to and kept in a room with several dead, decomposing animals and no access to water. They were reportedly told “either you eat or you stay there”.

After one day in the room, the centre manager said they would be transferred to a detention centre in the north of Greece if they ate. On this condition, the respondent said they broke their strike but were instead taken to Petrou Ralli (Tavros) PRDC in Athens.

The respondent described how he felt deceived by the Corinth PRDC manager and how he fought the police on arrival at the new facility. The police reportedly swore at him and the respondent knocked an officer to the ground. The respondent said he was taken to an isolated room, deprived of his phone, and kept at Petrou Ralli longer than the other three strikers. After spending at least one month at the facility, he said he was taken back to Corinth PRDC where he began another hunger strike.

On the eighth day of the respondent’s strike, he said he called his lawyer, who reportedly contacted the centre manager to insist he be sent to hospital – they agreed. The respondent continued his strike in hospital, reportedly prompting authorities to say that if he ate, he’d be released from detention. They refused, however, his lawyer’s request to put this offer in writing.

The respondent was later told he would be released from detention in early 2026 if he ended his strike. He agreed and was reportedly let out on the promised day on the condition he reported every month to a police station in Glyfada.