In September 2023, following the devastating flood that struck the region of Thessaly in Central Greece, the authorities announced and immediately evacuated the population of asylum seekers residing in the Koutsochero camp, which numbered over 900 people, including children and vulnerable people. The authorities decided the evacuation of the shelter as a mitigating means to provide accommodation to the flood victims from the affected areas. Yet, the camp’s residents were transferred without prior notice, proper preparation, and consideration of their particular needs to other infrastructures in Volos, Katsikas, Thermopylae, and Malakasa. GCR expressed its profound concern regarding the implementation of this measure, as the competent authorities did not provide any information on the conditions of the structures where asylum seekers were transferred, regarding the infrastructure, staffing, access to fundamental goods, psychosocial support, and medical care.984 Beyond these points, effective reporting on reception conditions in the mainland stumbles upon the lack of public data and the aforementioned ability of independent actors to maintain effective oversight, which needs to be addressed in itself as an increasingly concerning gap. 2.2 Conditions on the Eastern Aegean islands The situation on the islands has been widely documented and has remained alarming throughout the years, with increased arrivals in the second half of 2023 marking a return to conditions of overcrowding observed in previous years and an accentuation of ongoing challenges. Between January and December 2023, a total of 25,686 persons were transferred to the mainland from the islands of Lesvos (8,438), Samos (4,506), Chios (1,493), Kos (6,211), Leros (2,918) or from other islands (2,170).985 Despite these increased efforts, by the end of December 2023, 15,914 persons were still residing in facilities with a designated nominal capacity of 17,737 places, resulting in near all facilities operating beyond their reported capacity.986 Namely, on 31 December 2023, the CCAC of Chios, with a reported capacity of 1,014 places, was hosting 1,082 people, the CCAC of Samos, with a reported capacity of 3,650, was hosting 3,890, the CCAC of Leros, with a reported capacity of 2,150, was hosting 2,192, and the CCAC of Kos, with a reported capacity of 2,923, was hosting 3,360. The Lesvos CCAC, on the other hand, with a reported capacity of 8,000 was hosting 5,390.987 That being said, as per observations in the field in 2022, which were renewed in 2023, reported capacity does not necessarily equate to the actual capacity of CCACs. For instance, as reported during the Lesvos Inter-Agency Coordination Meeting, which operates under UNHCR, on 19 January 2022, due to increased arrivals, the CCAC Director had informed that shelter availability in the Lesvos CCAC had become scarce, impacting on living conditions. Yet at the time, the CCAC reportedly hosted 1,920 persons, which was significantly less than the facility’s reported capacity, which, as per official data, stood at 8,000 places at the time.988 Likewise, in September 2023, RSA reported the overnight increase in the officially reported capacity for the Samos CCAC, which without any explanation was increased from 2,040 to 3,659 places.989 Beyond overcrowding, testimonies refer to conditions of confinement and excessive surveillance. At the same 984 985 986 987 988 989 GCR, Flood victims and refugees displaced in the same fate, 15 September 2023, available in Greek at https://tinyurl.com/j9s527uu. MoMA, Statistics, Consolidated Reports - Overview: December 2023 - International Protection | Appendix A, available at: https://tinyurl.com/533t33jw, table 2. National Coordination Centre for border Control, Immigration and Asylum, National Situational Picture regarding the Islands at Eastern Aegean Sea (31/12/2023), 1 January 2024, available at: https://bit.ly/3OFlP83. Ibid. For instance, see NCCBCIA, National Situational Picture Regarding the Islands at Eastern Aegean Sea (19/01/2022), 20 January 2022 and National Situational Picture Regarding the Islands at Eastern Aegean Sea (31/12/2022), 1 January 2023. Both can also be accessed on the MoMA’s website at: https://bit.ly/3OFlP83, under the label ‘National Situation: Migrant and Refugee Issue’. RSA, Disgraceful living conditions in the ‘state-of-the-art’ Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) of Samos, 6 February 2024, available at: https://bit.ly/3WelY5Z. 197