Fylakio has consistently been accused of extremely concerning conditions and treatment of detainees. In 2010, there were repeated reports of protests, including minors threatening suicide, and a group of Iranian people who went on hunger strike by sewing their lips together with shoelaces.[99] Both men, women, families and unaccompanied minors are detained in Fylakio PRDC. When the National Committee for Human Rights and the Greek Ombudsman visited the centre in 2011, unaccompanied minors had been detained in Fylakio for more than five months exposed to cold temperatures, sleeping on the floor and in spaces flooded with sewage.[100] The CPT visits and subsequent reports below detail the numerous allegations of ill-treatment and conditions in Fylakio which were described as amounting to inhuman or degrading treatment.[101] CPT visits and Report Findings on Fylakio PRDC In January 2011, a CPT delegation carried out a visit to Greece to examine establishments holding foreign nationals, following concerns that Greek authorities had failed to tackle the structural deficiencies, poor conditions and allegations of ill-treatment. Fylakio special holding facility was specifically visited, and their report[102] noted that the centre did not conform to the standards put forward by the CPT in 1997. The carceral design of the centres, were described as totally inappropriate, as well as the lack of lighting, ventilation, personal hygiene products, ability to obtain a change of clothes, or cleaning products. The centre was described as overcrowded, with people detained in cells covered by floor to ceiling bars, in conditions which could be considered amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment.[103] The extremely hostile interaction between police officers and detainees was also acknowledged, and includes reports of ill-treatment of detainees in the visits room, where bloodstains were discovered on the walls. The eight officers on duty in the centre for 448 people detained at the time, was considered totally insufficient in terms of officer to detainee ratios. A CPT delegation returned to Fylakio special holding facility in 2013, and the report continues to raise concerns with regard to the overcrowding of the centre, conditions and alleged police violence, recommending that the centre only be used for holding persons for short periods. Five years later, in April 2018, a CPT delegation returned to Fylakio PRDC. Despite their previous recommendations, the material conditions were found to be appalling,[104] and totally unsuitable for longterm detention. The centre remained over capacity holding 421 foreign nationals - including 103 children - and up to 95 people in a cell, who were all waiting to be transferred to the new adjacent RIC. As a result, people had less than 1m squared of space each, and people were granted just 10-20 minutes outside per day. In addition, no renovations had been undertaken since 2013, and a number of reports of verbal abuse by police officers, racist language, physical ill-treatment including kicks, baton blows and slaps were made to the delegation.[105] The report noted that there was the presence of one doctor five days a week and four nurses present for six days a week between them, but medical equipment and translation was severely lacking. The presence of a psychologist was acknowledged, however, this was considered insufficient for the number of people being held. Finally, the 2018 report notes the credible allegations made by detainees regarding the occurrence of pushbacks from the centre to Türkiye, often through violent means. As such, it was strongly recommended that people detained in Fylakio PRDC be protected against the risk of refoulement. Likewise, the March 2020 CPT delegation visit and report highlights concerns of police violence at Fylakio PRDC, and general treatment of detainees as “animals”.[106] The provision of legal advice in the centre for detention and deportation was described as inadequate, and individual’s ability to lodge an appeal against their deportation was conditional on them being able to access a lawyer. Lack of translation services led to ineffective communication between detained people and medical or legal staff. 27