- 26 39. At Korydallos Police Station, the basement detention area was severely overcrowded with 13 persons accommodated in a cell of some 18 m² and three persons in a cell of 7.5 m². In the largest cell, a man of 70 years had slept in a chair for the three nights previous to the delegation’s visit as there was no space on the floor. Access to natural light was minimal, ventilation insufficient, hygiene poor and the toilet malodorous and leaking. One detainee was infected with scabies, and others had skin rashes. There was no outdoor exercise yard. Several persons had spent longer than six months in detention in this station. 40. At Perama Police Station (Piraeus Prefecture), the two cells in the basement of the station measured a mere 5 m² and yet, at the time of the visit, they were each accommodating two women, one of whom had been held there for four months. At times, six women were crammed into each of these cells. One cell was dark (i.e. had no access to artificial lighting or natural light) and the other cell was poorly lit. The women never left the cells except to go the toilet or to wash (i.e. twice a day); in addition, they were not provided with any hygiene products. Moreover, the cells were damp, had mould on the walls and were in a filthy state; and apparently it was not unusual to see cockroaches and rats. The single mattress in each cell was worn and dirty. Further, the cells were not heated during the winter. In 2012, an internal Hellenic Police inspection report had stated that the cells were not fit for detaining persons overnight. At the end of the 2013 visit, the CPT’s delegation invoked Article 8, paragraph 5, of the Convention and requested the authorities to stop using these two cells to hold persons overnight. By communication of 17 June 2013, the Greek authorities informed the CPT that the detention facilities in this station had been taken out of service until such time they had been completely refurbished. The Committee welcomes the prompt action of the authorities and would like to be informed about the refurbishment once it has been completed. 2. Police detention facilities in Central Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly regions 41. The third floor detention area at Monasteriou Police Headquarters in Thessaloniki contained 20 cells with an official capacity of 73 (based on the number of concrete plinths), and was accommodating 78 men (remand prisoners and irregular migrants) and three women at the time of the visit.18 The murky cells had almost no access to natural light and were barely illuminated by the artificial lighting in the corridors which shone through the cell bars; reading required straining the eyes. There was no in-cell sanitation, and detainees complained that access to the toilet, particularly at night, was difficult and that sometimes they had to urinate in bottles. They also complained about the lack of cleaning products and the poor state of hygiene in the cells. Further, many complaints were received about lack of access to a doctor. In addition, there was no outdoor exercise yard and no television, radio or other activities. Many persons had been held three to four months in these conditions. It is noteworthy that in its decision of Dimitrios Dimopoupos v. Greece of 9 October 2012, the European Court of Human Rights found that similar conditions of detention in that same facility amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment for persons held for prolonged periods. 18 Cells of some 30 m² were accommodating 10 persons and cells of less than 20 m² six persons.