834950
Testimony- Testimony collected by
- Border Violence Monitoring Network
- Date and location recorded
- 2022, Thessaloniki, Northern Greece
- Detention centre related
- Detention Centre Country
- Greece
- Duration of detention
- More than 24 months
- Nationality
- Algeria
- Age
- 32
- Gender
- Male
- LGBTQI
- No answer
- Type of arrest
- Individual
- Why was the respondent detained?
- Undocumented
- Detained before?
- Yes
- Was the respondent informed of the duration of detention?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent experience any violence?
- Yes
- Type of violence experienced
- Blunt instrument
- Hate speech
- Physical violence
- Verbal insult
- Was the respondent forced to sign documents?
- Unknown
- Did the respondent have access to translation?
- Yes
- Did the respondent have access to medical aid?
- Yes
- 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?
- Yes
- Number detained in cell
- 6
- Number detainees sharing WC
- Unknown
- Hygiene rating
- Satisfactory
- Type of cell
- Unknown
- Had access to phone?
- Yes, without camera
- Ventilation
- Unknown
- Participated in hunger strike / protest?
- Unknown
- Had conflicts with other detainees?
- No
- Meal quality
- Satisfactory
- Meal quantity
- Unknown
- Had access to water?
- Unknown
- Had access to outdoor space?
- More than 2h per day
- Had access to educational resources?
- Unknown
- Had access to religious space?
- Unknown
- Had access to electricity?
- Unknown
- Had access to bed?
- Unknown
- Had access to laundry?
- Unknown
- Had access to toilet articles?
- Unknown
- Had access to mattress?
- Unknown
- Narrative
The respondent is Algerian and 32 years old. He has been detained several times. The first time he was held in Paranesti PRDC until he applied for asylum. He was released and six months later he was arrested again and spent another 15 months in Paranesti, where he applied for asylum again. For an unknown reason, he spent 5 months in a small prison cell, after which he was taken back to Paranesti for the third time. This amounted to 25 months in detention. Throughout this period, he had no legal support. He further reported that upon arrival to Greece from the Turkish-Greek land border, he was apprehended, his passport was destroyed and he was pushed back to Turkey. Despite requesting to see a doctor for a long time because of some issues with his legs and brain, only after 5 months was he taken to the hospital. He stayed in a container with six people and according to him conditions were fine and food was satisfactory. In the centre, he experienced racist and insulting behaviour from the police. Some officers were also physically abusive. He once witnessed the police beating another Algerian man with an iron stick to this face. His injuries were so bad that he had to have an operation. According to the respondent, in cases of fights between the detainees, the staff intervened by beating all those involved up.