Moreover, when the number of foreign nationals arriving on the islands increases, the systems break down quickly and many persons, especially those with specific needs and vulnerabilities, find themselves being subjected to treatment which could be described as inhuman and degrading. This was the situation found by the CPT delegation during the visit, notably at the Kos and Samos CCACs. The CPT therefore takes note of the Greek authorities’ commitment, expressed in their communication of 5 February 2024, to take additional steps to ensure that, even in periods of increased arrivals, mechanisms and procedures are in place which allow the reception of foreign nationals while protecting their human rights. 107. The Kos CCAC, opened in November 2021, is located near the village of Pyli some 15 km from Kos Town. At the time of the delegation’s visit, it was accommodating 3 851 persons for an official capacity of 2 100 places (that is, it was operating at 183% of capacity). Additional capacity had been found by placing people in the pre-removal detention centre (PRDCs) and by using the former RIC at the heart of the camp. However, the accommodation units made of prefabricated containers in the former RIC area had no running water or access to electricity and most of them were uninhabitable, with doors and windows missing, floors broken, toilets not functioning and water leaking through the ceilings. The delegation found that the allocation of foreign nationals to areas of the centre based upon their needs had broken down. In the period since September 2023, persons were waiting more than 25 days to be registered, during which time they were not allowed to leave the centre or even their accommodation section, and yet they had not been provided with any formal document depriving them of their liberty. Some 1 864 persons were not fully registered at the time of the visit and were confined to their section. 108. The Lesvos CCAC, located in the Mavrovouni location, about 5 km from the centre of Mytilene and beside the sea, was transformed from a RIC into a CCAC in November 2022 and remains a “temporary facility” pending the construction of the model-type CCAC on the island. At the time of the visit, 4 741 persons were accommodated in the centre for an operational capacity of 3 679 places (that is, it was operating at 129% of capacity). Of these, 287 were not yet fully registered and could be considered as being deprived of their liberty; it was however positive that all new arrivals were registered within a week of their arrival. A further 187 had had their asylum claims rejected and were in a state of limbo as they no longer received support from the CCAC.45 109. Samos CCAC, opened in September 2021, is located in a forested hilly area some 9 km from Vathy Town. It was accommodating 3 560 persons for an official capacity of 3 562 places. However, in reality, the centre was severely overcrowded with many foreign nationals, including families with children, sleeping on the floor in the canteen areas of various sections or in prefabricated containers intended for teaching purposes. The four PRDC sections, open for only a few months and accommodating over 600 persons, were already in a state of disrepair, especially the sanitary facilities. At the time of the visit, 1 801 persons were not fully registered and, as at Kos, most of these persons had been deprived of their liberty for periods in excess of 25 days. Further, access to water via a well was insufficient to meet the needs of the centre and severe daily water restrictions had to be imposed; the situation improved in late November with the arrival of a rainy period. 110. The Fylakio Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) remains essentially the same as described in the 2018 visit report of the CPT.46 At the time of the 2023 visit, the five wings (A-E), were accommodating 185 foreign nationals – of whom 115 were Turkish nationals – for an official capacity of 330. 58 of these were unaccompanied children. However, a large extension to the RIC has been constructed to increase the capacity by another 800 places and was expected to open in 2024. The extension was along the model of the CCACs on the islands with each accommodation section surrounded by a high fence and barbed wire. In addition, there were seven watch towers within the site of the extension which were totally out of place for an immigration detention centre. The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities dismantle the watch towers within the new facility and remove the barbed wire from the internal fences of the centre. Reference is made to the CPT’s recommendation in paragraph 66. 45. Due to the absence of the pre-removal detention centre on the island, rejected asylum seekers no longer received food provision for instance, but their stay in the CCAC was tolerated by the authorities. 46. See CPT (2019) 04, paragraphs 95 to 99. 34