The referral and transfer of the detainees by the Police to the medical services provider of RIC,
EODY, is almost impossible, due to the understaffing of both the detention authorities and
EODY itself. Therefore, serious medical conditions often go unnoticed, while, at the same time,
there are numerous reports of suicide attempts. Finally, in September 2019, many detainees
reported an outbreak of scabies in the Lesvos PRDC.
The inadequacy of the medical services provided in the PRDC has been tragically illustrated in
the case of a 38-year-old national from DRC, suffering from kidney failure (end-stage renal
disease). On 24 May 2019, he was detained upon arrival under the “low profile detention
scheme.” His condition was not diagnosed at the level of his initial medical screening and
vulnerability assessment at RIC. Despite the asylum seeker’s daily and repetitive attempts to
explain his medical condition to AEMY and the police authorities, he was never referred by
AEMY to either EODY, for a reassessment of his vulnerability and further actions, or directly to
the public Hospital of Mytilene. On 29 May 2019, the Head of Lesvos RAO informed the Police
authorities that he did not intend to recommend the detention of the applicant, allegedly
because the asylum recognition rate for nationals of DRC was, as per the latest EUROSTAT data,
higher than 25%. Accordingly, on 31 May 2019, the Police Directorate issued a release order.
However, on 1 June 2019 and, while still in the PRDC, the asylum seeker lost consciousness and
was urgently transferred to the Hospital, where he was hospitalized in a critical condition for six
days. He was eventually diagnosed with kidney failure and was prescribed hemodialysis every
three days.
No access to a legal remedy
The “low profile” detainees cannot effectively access a legal remedy against their detention
order, because they are never informed promptly, and in a language they understand, of the
reasons for their detention and they have no real access to legal representation.
In almost all of the cases represented by HIAS Greece, only the first, temporary detention order
had been served on the detainees. However, the content of the decision was never translated
to them in a language they understand. Despite the reference, in the temporary detention
order, of an information brochure regarding the rights of the detainees and the grounds for
their detention, none of the 40 detainees represented by our organization had been informed
of the existence of such a brochure. Furthermore, none of the decisions make any reference to
the right of the detainees to be heard in the context of the automatic judicial review (Art. 46(5),
of L. 4375/2016). As a result, “low profile” detainees are never “informed, in writing and in a
language which they understand, of the nature of and grounds for the decision to detain, the
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