238287
Testimony- Testimony collected by
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
- Date and location recorded
- 25th September 2023, Thessaloniki, Northern Greece
- Detention centre related
- Detention Centre Country
- Greece 2
- Duration of detention
- 4 - 6 months
- Nationality
- Afghanistan
- Age
- 24
- Gender
- Male
- LGBTQI
- No answer
- Type of arrest
- Individual
- Why was the respondent detained?
- Undocumented
- Detained before?
- Yes, in a police station
- Was the respondent informed of the duration of detention?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent experience any violence?
- Yes
- Type of violence experienced
- Isolation
- Theft
- Was the respondent forced to sign documents?
- Yes, in Greek
- Did the respondent have access to translation?
- No
- Did the respondent have access to medical aid?
- Yes, limited
- Did the respondent have access to NGOs?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent have access to legal support?
- No
- Did the respondent apply for asylum?
- Yes
- Appealed?
- Unknown
- Number detained in cell
- Unknown
- Number detainees sharing WC
- Unknown
- Hygiene rating
- Very poor
- Type of cell
- Unknown
- Had access to phone?
- Yes, without camera
- Had access to WiFi?
- Unknown
- Ventilation
- Unknown
- Participated in hunger strike / protest?
- Yes
- Had conflicts with other detainees?
- Unknown
- Meal quality
- Very poor
- Meal quantity
- Unknown
- Had access to water?
- Tap
- Had access to outdoor space?
- Unknown
- Had access to educational resources?
- Unknown
- Had access to religious space?
- Unknown
- Had access to electricity?
- Unknown
- Had access to bed?
- Sleeping on the ground
- Had access to laundry?
- Unknown
- Had access to toilet articles?
- Purchased
- Had access to mattress?
- Individual, thin
- Narrative
The respondent is 24 years old and is from Afghanistan. He was apprehended in Athens, subsequently held in an unidentified police station for one hour, then transferred to Amygdaleza PRDC for 15 days, and subsequently moved to Paranesti PRDC for approximately 5 months. Upon apprehension, the respondent was reportedly escorted to a police car without any explanation as to why. He asked the officers for asylum but they reportedly laughed at him. Upon arrival at the police station, the respondent was fingerprinted and interrogated in English about his age and nationality. After one hour, he was handcuffed and transferred to Amygdaleza PRDC. In Amygdaleza, the respondent was given a document in Greek, a language he did not understand, and was asked to sign it. “They told us: ‘Nothing bad is going to happen. [...] When you sign this paper, we’re going to try to find a way for you. And if it doesn’t help, then you are going to be deported back to the second country.’ We said: ‘This is not going to be helpful because the second country is place where we don’t have rights, [...] otherwise we wouldn’t have left.’” Reportedly, the respondent asked again for asylum in Amygdaleza but did not receive any legal help and did not complete any other paperwork. The conditions in the facility were described as very dirty, and the facility was reportedly overcrowded. “The water there was not clean and it was not drinkable and there were cockroaches all over the place. The bed was broken and it’s not clean, the mattress, everything is dirty, some were sleeping on the ground. Because of sleeping on the ground, I got an allergic reaction.” He reported that he did not ask for medical help because he knew he would not receive the treatment he needed. After 15 days, he was transferred to Paranesti PRDC. The conditions in Paranesti were reported as poor. The food was of bad quality and inedible, medical care was inadequate and the doctors were incompetent in treating his allergy. Reportedly he had to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste, which left him with no money for other necessities. Along with other detainees, the respondent participated in a hunger strike because of the poor human rights conditions in the facility. Reportedly, the people involved in the strike were put in a darkened cell together, had their belongings taken away, and were told that they would need to stay there until they resumed eating. The respondent said that he was unable to record the conditions at the PRDC because his phone camera had been removed by the authorities.