- 34 68. The Petrou Ralli Centre remains an unsuitable place for holding irregular migrants for prolonged periods, as the CPT made clear even before its official opening in 2005. 52 At the time of the 2009 visit, the Centre was accommodating 218 male detainees, 77 adult female detainees and five female juveniles, rendering the population of the male section slightly above its capacity of 208; some of the male detainees slept on a mattress directly placed on the floor. That said, in general the state of hygiene was much better than in the past and access to the toilets, including at night, was no longer a problem due to the constant presence of police officers in the corridors. The CPT’s delegation also noted that the outdoor exercise yard was now in use, although detainees were still not being offered access to it every day. A number of detainees claimed that during the summer months when the Centre was overcrowded, they had been accommodated outside in the outdoor exercise yard for several days and nights. 69. In its report on the 1997 visit, the CPT had stated that the Piraeus Holding Facility for Aliens “is only acceptable for periods of detention of up to a few days, and then only if the physical shortcomings regarding the lighting and ventilation of the premises and the absence of facilities for outdoor exercise are remedied. Should the Centre be required to accommodate foreign nationals for longer periods, other substantial improvements would be necessary to ensure detention conditions adapted to their circumstances”.53 In their response, the Greek authorities reassured the CPT that “all the deficits noted by the Committee in regard to these cells have been restored, and in due time they will be operational.”54 Following renewed criticism by the CPT of the facility in 2001, the Greek authorities indicated that “the renovation of the building has proved to be unfeasible” and that “a new building (..) has already been found”.55 However, in 2007 the CPT’s delegation noted that the same building was still in use and that the detention conditions had not improved. Moreover, irregular migrants could be held for as long as nine months in this facility.56 In 2009, the conditions of detention remained totally unsatisfactory: dilapidated, gloomy and dirty, still with no access to outdoor exercise. By letter of 23 November 2009, the Greek authorities informed the CPT that the Piraeus facility was scheduled for demolition at the beginning of 2010, and that a new building would be constructed. The CPT trusts that the design of the new facility will take into account the Committee’s criteria for places of detention for irregular migrants, as formulated in the 7th General Report on the CPT’s Activities. 52 53 54 55 56 See CPT/Inf (2006) 41, paragraphs 35 and 36; CPT/Inf (2008) 3, paragraph 28; CPT/Inf (2009) 20, paragraph 39. See CPT/ Inf (2001) 18, paragraph 68. See CPT/Inf (2001) 19. See CPT/ Inf (2002) 32. See CPT/ Inf (2008) 3, paragraph 29.