9. Asylum and the asylum procedure in detention »I was released two hours after receiving the rejection of my asylum claim.« O.H. from Iran191 ■ »I applied for asylum in detention. One day in Fylakio I noticed that I had lost the registration paper for my personal belongings. I was afraid that my things would get lost or that somebody else would take them if he would find the paper. Inside my bag were my mobile phone and my laptop. I requested to see the director. The officers brought me up to his office and I waited outside for a while. Then they told me that he would have no time and they brought me back to my cell. Back in my cell I requested several times again to speak to the director. The officers were telling me he had no time. In the end they brought me again up to the director’s office. There was also a Nigerian guy. Five officers pulled me into the room and threw me on a mattress/ sofa. They started beating me. One of them grabbed my neck with two hands and started suffocating me. I told them that when I get free I will report what they did to me, and then I was brought back to the cell. The next day I was brought to the director. Consciously I went without shirt, in order for him to see what they did to me. My neck had black signs of his hands. telling him that he had to resign from his asylum application in order to be released. On July 8, 2011 his detention was lifted on the basis of his medical problems. He was ordered to leave the country within 30 days, as there is a pending deportation order against him. 9.5 Upon release: Lack of reception facilities – effects on the asylum procedure Upon their release irregular migrants are granted an official note instructing them to leave the country within 30 days. The document is in Greek language. No information is provided to them regarding their rights, their obligation etc. Vulnerable cases of detainees, like the ones who suffer from serious psychological problems, pregnant women, families, are released without any care, reception place or any information at all. They have to find a way to arrive at 191 O.H. from Iran; October 29, 2011 – Athens (detained in Feres, Soufli, Venna and Fylakio) 63 He was very kind. I thought it was because he feared I would report him. He said he would find my personal belonging the latest until the day I would be released. I stayed for six months in detention. The last day they brought me a paper, which was the rejection of my asylum claim. They didn’t tell me anything else. They just gave me my paper. Two hours later they took me and another one with handcuffs from my cell. It was the day of freedom and they put handcuffs on my hands so tight, that it hurts until today. They brought me to Feres without giving me my personal belongings. I stayed one night there. The next morning I was released. I was released two hours after receiving the rejection of my asylum claim.« O.H. was arrested in March 2011 in Ferres. He stayed in detention the full length of six months and was released in September 2011 one day after receiving the rejection of his asylum claim. He had no possibility to see a lawyer because GCR-lawyers had not yet received access to Fylakio so he had no possibility to lodge an appeal against the rejection. He has missed the deadline to lodge an appeal against the asylum decision. He is now again in danger of deportation to Iran. Athens by themselves and a place to stay where they will be usually in deplorable conditions. Medical attestations are not always handed to the detainees upon their release. The released have to leave the police station by their own means. Many of them do not have the money to buy a bus ticket, and they are forced to travel on foot if they cannot afford to take the bus or the train to Athens. Often the released remain for some days homeless in the area until they can arrange to find support. Asylum seekers including the vulnerable ones (victims of torture, traumatized etc), are not supplied with any reception place or other receprion conditions.192 They don’t receive any daily allowance or travel expenses. The lack of reception conditions affects the asylum seekers in many ways. Upon their release the asylum seekers are provided with the so-called Red Card (a temporary residence permit for asylum seekers). Even though the police request from the 192 PD 220/2007