RITSONA CAMP Image: Google Earth/2024 Airbus Official name: Coordinates: Nominal capacity¹¹³: Operational/actual capacity: Residents: Beneficiaries of reception conditions: Beneficiaries of special reception conditions: Administrative staff: Medical staff: Ratio of residents to medical staff: Distance to nearest health services¹¹⁴: Distance to nearest urban centre (Chalkida): Ritsona Controlled Access Facility for the Temporary Accommodation of Asylum Seekers / Ελεγχόμενη Δομή Προσωρινής Φιλοξενίας Αιτούντων Άσυλο Ριτσώνας 38.387297, 23.503803 1509 1004 872 628 335 34 9 97:1 10 km 20.3 km History Ritsona camp is located in a remote industrial area 75 km from Athens and is the largest reception facility in mainland Greece. Although technically open, the facility has been described as detention-like¹¹⁵ considering the limited access to the outside world faced by residents and the fact that it is surrounded by walls and barbed wire. Ritsona camp has become renowned for violence between residents leading to deaths in some instances. In June 2024 the murder of a camp resident was reported including arrest of two other residents¹¹⁶, leading to CSOs highlighting that closed controlled accommodation centres do not equate to safer facilities, as prison-like conditions ‘can exacerbate tension and insecurity’¹¹⁷. Deaths of residents at Ritsona have previously been reported including of a two-month old baby who died in a taxi en route to hospital from the camp¹¹⁸. CSOs report serious deficiencies in vulnerability assessments, provision of medical care, and transportation from the camp¹¹⁹ to urban centres. In January 2023, residents in Ritsona demanded adequate healthcare provision in the camp following the death of a 45 year old Congolese man¹²⁰ who was found dead in his shelter after requesting medical attention during the night. At this time the facility hosted an estimated 2,000 residents but did not have sufficient medical staff¹²¹ to cater to their needs, following the withdrawal¹²² of the Red Cross leaving just one first aid station operated by the Greek public health service (EODY). There is no separate area for accommodation of families and minors in Ritsona. 24