Overview
Petrou Ralli (also known as Tavros) is a detention centre located in Athens which has been widely condemned for systemic neglect and human rights violations. Located on the second and third floors of the Attica Aliens Directorate, it has been used for decades to detain migrants under administrative procedures. Originally a police holding facility, it became a symbol of the long-standing use of police infrastructure to confine migrants, often in appalling conditions and for prolonged periods. The facility previously detained women but since 2020 has only accommodated men.
This 3D model, developed as part of the Detention Landscapes project, reconstructs the spatial structures of the Petrou Ralli detention centre. While architectural structures convey important aspects of state violence, the 3D model should be considered alongside documented testimonies from people who have first-hand experience of being detained in Petrou Ralli, for a fuller understanding of the lived realities of immigration detention.
Exploring the 3D Model
Use your mouse or touchscreen to rotate, zoom, and explore the space. You can navigate inside the cells and along the corridors to better understand the layout and scale. Some areas are marked with interactive hotspots providing testimonies of the lived reality of detention from former detainees. Different colours indicate differing functions of buildings (for accommodation, administrative activities etc).
Due to restrictions on access to the facility and limited photographic documentation due to confiscation of detainees' mobile phone devices, several elements in the model are based on satellite imagery, online research, interviews with detainees, official reports, and informed architectural inference. This model is therefore not an exact or architecturally accurate representation, but an interpretive reconstruction intended to visualise the spatial and experiential dimensions of detention.
The 3D Model
Architecture and Layout
The official capacity of Petrou Ralli at the end of 2023 was 150 people. Throughout 2023, 1,427 people were detained at the centre. At the end of June 2024, the total population was 178 people. The facility comprises multiple detention wings across two floors. On the second floor—designated as the male unit—there are four wings (D2, D3, D4, and D5). Each wing consists of a long, narrow corridor lined with barred holding cells that provide no privacy. The third floor, used in the past to detain women, children, and people with health conditions, includes additional wings, though their exact number is uncertain. It is unclear whether this upper floor continues to be used for detention purposes. Each floor has an outdoor space accessible from within the detention areas, which serve as limited exercise yards but are surrounded by high walls and metal fencing, restricting both movement and visibility.
Lived Experiences and Testimonies
Life inside Petrou Ralli is marked by monotony, distress, and neglect. Migrants have reported a dehumanising environment, exacerbated by unsanitary conditions, and verbal and physical abuse by police officers.
"Those two months and ten days that I spent in Petrou Ralli were the hardest time of my life. I don't want anyone, especially women, to go through that situation ever again."
— 46 year-old woman from Iran, testimony taken in 2023
"It's hard in Petrou Ralli because there's no sun, there is no phone, no wifi."
— 28 year-old man from Egypt, testimony taken in 2023
The cells are often overcrowded and poorly ventilated, with little or no access to natural light. Detained people often sleep on plinth beds or on the floor, especially when numbers exceed capacity. Multiple respondents recount being held in overcrowded cells - some as small as 3 by 5 metres - often locked inside for the entirety of the day. Toilet access is also tightly controlled, and some detainees described being forced to urinate in empty bottles or coffee cups provided by officers.
The quality of food is consistently described as extremely poor, healthcare services are extremely limited and communication with the outside world is minimal to nonexistent. Verbal abuse by officers is a recurrent theme in testimonies of people detained in Petrou Ralli. Detainees describe officers as frequently aggressive and demeaning. Women have reported being treated with disrespect and hostility by female police officers.
Resistance and Visibility
In response to the harsh conditions, detainees in Petrou Ralli have staged hunger strikes and collective protests against prolonged detention and poor treatment. In May 2018, a fire broke out in one of the cells. Even though it was quickly put out and left no casualties, it managed to burn a whole wing. The fire had allegedly been started by detainees in protest against the extremely poor living conditions inside the facility. Activist groups, civil society organisations and human rights bodies have routinely condemned the conditions at the detention centre. However, conditions have not improved significantly.
Credits
Related Content
- Detention Landscapes Map Entry: Petrou Ralli
- 3D Models of Other Sites:
