- 10 The 2009 visit represents the CPT’s fourth visit to Greece in five years, and the reports on these visits have all pointed to the lack of vigorous action taken by the authorities to tackle the systemic deficiencies identified by the Committee, notably as concerns preventing ill-treatment of detainees by law enforcement officials, conditions of detention for irregular migrants and the situation in the country’s prisons. 8. Regrettably, it would appear from the responses of the authorities to the reports on the previous visits that the Committee’s findings continue to be regarded with some scepticism as to their reliability. Allegations of ill-treatment appear to be considered either as isolated cases or as fabricated stories, rather than as indicators of a serious problem. The findings of the 2009 visit point once again to the necessity for putting in place more rigorous systems which guarantee that allegations of ill-treatment are thoroughly, promptly and effectively investigated by an independent authority and that perpetrators of ill-treatment are punished accordingly. The conditions of detention for the vast majority of irregular migrants deprived of their liberty in Greece continue to be unacceptable, as this report clearly illustrates. Again, the problem is not new but the action taken to date by the authorities has not addressed the structural deficiencies nor has it attempted to promote a coordinated approach between the main actors responsible for managing accommodation and care for irregular migrants. As for the situation in prisons, the excessive overcrowding in a number of prisons in conjunction with severe understaffing, poor health-care provision, lack of a meaningful regime and unsuitable material conditions represent an even greater concern to the Committee today than they did in the past. 9. The above-mentioned concerns of the CPT were conveyed to the Greek authorities in the course of two days of high-level talks in Athens on 18-19 January 2010. The CPT’s delegation, which included the President of the Committee and the Head of the delegation that carried out the visit in September 2009, met the Minister of Citizen’s Protection, the Alternate Foreign Minister, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Transparency as well as the Secretaries General of the relevant ministries and other senior officials. The commitment of the authorities to take concrete action to address the shortcomings identified by the CPT was clearly expressed and a number of initiatives were outlined. The Committee welcomes the constructive approach of the authorities. Nevertheless, as matters stand at present, the CPT finds itself in the unfortunate position of having to repeat a large number of recommendations, many of which are long-standing. The persistent non-implementation of its recommendations by the Greek authorities has left the Committee with little choice but to invoke the procedure provided for in Article 10, paragraph 2, of the Convention2. The Committee trusts that concrete action will be taken in response to this visit report, thereby rendering the making of a public statement unnecessary. 2 Article 10, paragraph 2, reads as follows: “If the Party fails to co-operate or refuses to improve the situation in the light of the Committee's recommendations, the Committee may decide, after the Party has had an opportunity to make known its views, by a majority of two-thirds of its members to make a public statement on the matter.”