The respondent is an Egyptian national who arrived in Crete from Libya in August 2025 and was subjected to the unlawful suspension of asylum applications, implemented by the Greek government between July-October 2025 for all third country nationals arriving from North Africa. He was automatically detained on arrival to Greece, without access to the asylum procedure or information on his rights, and remained in detention after the ban was lifted. He reported that upon arrival on the island he was apprehended by the police along with around 70 other people (including minors) and taken to a detention facility, likely to be the Hellenic Coast Guard security building in the port of Heraklion based on the description provided. He was reportedly held there for 17 days. The respondent detailed that his mobile phone was taken away and he was asked by the police to share the passcode. He reported that the conditions in the facility were rough and unclean. He also did not receive sufficient amounts of food and what was provided was poor quality. The respondent further reported: “We were beaten up by the police multiple times." The respondent added that minor members of the group also faced violence at the hands of authorities he referred to as wearing an “official [...] blue uniform” and that “They knew they were minors and still beat them.” He further reported that he did not receive any official documentation issuing a detention order while detained in Crete. Regarding the detention conditions, the respondent described an overcrowded and unclean facility consisting of 3 rooms without doors, each hosting approximately 20 people. He added that there was no access to outdoors and provision of items for personal hygiene was close to non-existent: “The whole period [we stayed there] we had the same clothes, which had salt from the sea water, and we didn't shower. And we had to ask for permission to use the toilet.” Additionally, the respondent reported inadequate healthcare provision, with only “one nurse or first aid person” available in the facility and limited medication in stock. No medical screening was reportedly carried out upon arrival.

After 17 days, the respondent reported being transferred to a closed facility in Sintiki. Reportedly, the respondent received official documentation upon arrival in Sintiki and his fingerprints were taken by the authorities. He voiced not being aware of the reasons for his detention, and added that “some people come and leave [...] But Egyptians and people from Bangladesh are not allowed to leave.” Additionally, the respondent described neglectful and uncommunicative behaviour from authorities: “When you ask the authorities questions, they don't answer us [...] Sometimes they are rude towards the detainees, they insult and they use low vocabulary.” The respondent reported that interpretation in Arabic and Bengali was provided in the facility. The respondent described inadequate detention conditions, including lack of hot water for showering and no provision of items for personal hygiene. He also reported that it was up to the detainees themselves to clean the spaces. Reportedly, new clothes were provided once upon arrival. He described the food to be of decent quality but stated that essential items sold by a market visiting twice monthly were expensive. He further described the space he slept in as a container with air conditioning hosting 5 people, equipped with beds but only thin blankets insufficient to keep people warm on cold nights. He explained that the site was provided with a medical clinic but access was restricted and needed to be authorised by the facility’s staff. He described it as even more difficult to be granted permission to get medical attention from a hospital, and added that “If there’s something serious, they’re taken to the hospital with two officers. And they handcuff the patient.” He also explained that during his time there, there was an outbreak of a transmissible skin disease: “Most people have something like scabies.” Finally, he added that there was the possibility of meeting with a psychologist in the facility. Towards the end of the interview the respondent reported episodes of violence to repress two protests involving 40 detainees in October and February. He described how detainees were attacked with tear gas and in one instance, he added: “They [the police] entered the facility and beat a few people.”