they punish them like they have to clean the toilet or they have to clean all the area, all the container they are living, they have to clean them. Or sometimes they torture them.” Denial of medical care The deprivation of access to medical care for detainees has been consistently recorded in Greece, yet our testimonies highlight the additional denial of medical care following a violent incident of abuse by detention staff. This amplifies the severity of harm and neglect, an issue that was reported by respondents across detention facilities in Greece. This paints a concerning picture of violence with intent thus pointing to the structural level of abuse. Evidence of the systematic breaches of international detention standards were affirmed in 2021 by the Greek Ombusperson, in which refusal to provide detained foreign nationals access to medical care was noted.48 In addition, in 2019 the United Nations Committee Against Torture observed a ‘systemic failure to provide and ensure access to medical care’, as well as highlighting further concern at reports of ill-treatment, including beatings, of detained asylum seekers and migrants by police officers.49 The Committee subsequently recommended that the Greek State should ensure that migrants and asylum seekers held in detention are provided with adequate medical and mental health care, including a medical examination upon admission and routine assessments.50 Yet the reports from our testimonies, detailed below, emphasise the ongoing lack of monitoring of health condition, and specific denial of both physical and mental healthcare support despite there being a critical need in at least six testimonies. BVMN asserts that these incidents amplify the gravity and severity of harm, thus putting the State authorities who facilitate this abuse, in breach of Article 3 of the ECHR. Respondent 10, Afghanistan. Detained in Corinth PRDC. No, they don’t beat in front of people. There is another room, they just took them there. There are seven or six police, just one person. They hang their hands somewhere and then they four or five police just beat them as much as they can. They torture them in a really bad way. Our friends had a fracture but also after that they didn’t help. 14

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