32 6. Detention and detention centres Ferres detention centre Womens’ cell in Ferres before the renovation Repeatedly, detainees complained about the lack of adequate clothing, that is warm clothes (in winter), shoes, socks and a second pair of underwear in order to be able to change and wash their clothes. »We had to share one mattress among at least two persons. There were people sleeping everywhere, even in between the mattresses on the floor. If you want to pass by, everyone has to stand up to clear the way.«96 Some are sleeping next to the garbage and in the sewage of the two toilets that do not even have doors; some are sleeping above the toilets in a small storage room where they have to climb up to. Others have created provisory beds with wood or cardboards covered with dirty blankets. During our missions we saw that detainees were forced to sleep in the hallway, in front of the bars at the entrance, piled up one on the other. Obviously they had to remain in the position in which they fell asleep, because there was no space for moving around. A minor, who has been registered as an adult, said: »If I have the chance to lie down as long as there is some space, I lie down. If not I don’t. Then I have to sleep in a sitting position or on top of the garbage.«97 In order to leave the cell, to get to the door for communicating either with the guards or the doctors, or to make phone calls, they had to climb over the other detainees. The lack of space creates additional stress and tension among the inmates, as one minor told us: »I am afraid of the others, because they are fighting for a place to sleep, for the meals, for the toilets etc.«98 »Once the police was shouting at us to return to the cell. They were saying: ›Go back! Go back!‹ But we couldn’t. It was too crowded. Then they opened the door and beat us. (…) Another time one of my co-detainees fainted. We called the police for help. But the officer said: ›He is just pretending. He is fine. We did not invite you to come to Greece, so now deal with it‹.«99 If they wish to contact someone from outside, detainees have to request access to the single phone located outside of the yards’ windows. In order to make phone calls they have to purchase phone cards. Without money there is no possibility to make a phone call. 6.3.3. Soufli borderguard station The detention centre of Soufli is a borderguard station. Greece has been condemned twice by the European Court of Human Rights for the degrading detention conditions in Soufli (in 2009 and 2011).94 The offices of the police were renovated in 2008, a new building for the offices constructed, but the detention space remained the same. With an average of 170 detainees in one cell (period August 2010 - April 2011), the individual space for each of them amounts to approx. 60cm2. The cell consists of two rooms, not separated from each other, a hallway, a small storage room for the garbage, two toilets and two showers. There is no place to sleep, you can only sit or sleep in shifts. And even if some had enough space to stretch out, it was still very narrow as H.A. described after more than five months of detention: »My place to sleep is the size of a grave!«95 Men, women, minors and babies are all held together and share toilets and showers. There are but 20 mattresses. 94 Violating article 3 of the European Human Rights Convention / case of S.D. and R.U. v Greece. See also: footnote 52 95 H.A. from Iran; December 19, 2010 – Soufli 96 S.K. from Turkey; December 19, 2010 – Soufli 97 I.R. from Iraq; December 19, 2010 – Soufli 98 S.A. from Iraq; December 19, 2010 – Soufli 99 F.H. from Iran; February 28, 2011 – Soufli