GREECE IRREGULAR MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS ROUTINELY DETAINED IN SUBSTANDARD CONDITIONS 7 individuals who intend to apply for asylum or asylum-seekers who have already lodged an asylum application. In 2009, refugee recognition rates in Greece at first instance remained close to zero per cent.2 In the vast majority of detention areas visited by Amnesty International delegates, conditions ranged from inadequate to very poor. Among the deficiencies identified were: prolonged detention in facilities designed only for short stays; unaccompanied minors being detained among adults; limited access to medical assistance; overcrowding; lack of hygiene; a lack of products for personal hygiene; lack of exercise; and restricted access to clean water. Amnesty International has continued to receive allegations of ill-treatment by coastguards and police, as well as allegations of inhuman treatment during transfer from one immigration detention centre to another. Concerns about the failure of the Greek authorities to respect international standards with regard to the detention of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers, including unaccompanied children, have been raised by Amnesty International for several years. Such concerns include the grounds and length of detention of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers held at immigration detention centres and borderguard stations, poor detention conditions, and the detainees’ lack of access to assistance, including legal, social and medical support.3 Over the past few years, a number of inter-governmental organizations such as the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and its Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have also raised these and other issues regarding the detention of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers with the Greek authorities. 4 Amnesty International welcomes the fact that the current Greek government has acknowledged a number of problems in immigration detention facilities, announcing that changes were needed and that it was taking forward a number of proposals to address these issues. However, the organization believes these are not sufficient to address the longstanding and deep rooted failures by Greece to respect its international obligations in this regard, and concludes this report by setting out a number of detailed recommendations which it believes, if implemented, would significantly advance the respect of the human rights of migrants and asylum-seekers in the country.5 1.1. CONTEXT Amnesty International recognizes the challenges posed to many countries of the European Union (EU), particularly those on its southern border, which are presented by large and mixed flows of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers. The signature response of European states to the challenges, however, remains repressive, showing a consistent pattern of human rights violations linked to the interception, detention, and expulsion by states of foreign nationals, including those seeking international protection. In the case of Greece, as outlined above, particular concerns have focused around the practice of the detention of people in such migration flows, as well as the conditions in which they have been held. For example, in June 2009, following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in S.D. v Greece, Amnesty International reiterated its serious concerns about Index: EUR 25/002/2010 Amnesty International July 2010