732877
Testimony- Testimony collected by
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
- Date and location recorded
- 27th March 2025, Thessaloniki, Northern Greece
- Detention centre related
- Detention Centre Country
- Greece
- Duration of detention
- 2 - 4 months
- Nationality
- Other
- Age
- 43
- Gender
- Male
- Type of arrest
- Unknown
- Why was the respondent detained?
- Undocumented
- Detained before?
- Unknown
- Was the respondent informed of the duration of detention?
- Not applicable
- Did the respondent experience any violence?
- Yes, in a police station
- Type of violence experienced
- Blunt instrument
- Food deprivation
- Physical violence
- Threats and intimidation
- Was the respondent forced to sign documents?
- Yes
- Did the respondent have access to translation?
- No
- Did the respondent have access to medical aid?
- Yes
- Did the respondent have access to NGOs?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent have access to legal support?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent apply for asylum?
- Unknown
- Appealed?
- Unknown
- Number detained in cell
- Unknown
- Number detainees sharing WC
- Unknown
- Hygiene rating
- Unknown
- Type of cell
- Cell in police department
- Had access to phone?
- No
- Had access to WiFi?
- Unknown
- Ventilation
- Unknown
- Participated in hunger strike / protest?
- Yes, unsuccesful
- Had conflicts with other detainees?
- Unknown
- Meal quality
- Not applicable
- Meal quantity
- None per day, in police station
- Had access to bed?
- Individual, thin
- Had access to mattress?
- None
- Narrative
The respondent is a 43-year-old man who reported being apprehended in Thessaloniki. The respondent was reportedly apprehended due to being undocumented and was first taken to what he described as a police station close to Thessaloniki. At this police facility, he was reportedly asked to give his fingerprints and sign some documents. The respondent then reported that he was transferred to the Promachonas Border Guard Department. After spending about one month in Promachonas, the respondent was transferred to the Paranesti PRDC. In Promachonas, the respondent was detained in a small and overcrowded cell that he shared with other people, where he had a narrow bed made of cement to sleep on. The respondent described the cell as very cold and stated that he was not given a mattress or adequate blankets to stay warm. He also reported that his phone was confiscated at Promachonas and never returned. In Promachonas, the respondent was reportedly given five euros and eighty cents per day to order food from a menu. After one week of detention in Promachonas, the respondent was taken to a nearby hospital for some checks, where he stayed for about fifteen days. At this point, the respondent was reportedly taken back to the Promachonas Border Guard Department, where he was detained for another seven days, before being transferred to the Paranesti PRDC.