THE DUBLIN II TRAP TRANSFERS OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO GREECE 15 the material conditions of detention were inadequate. Although there were 46 beds available for detained people, the total number held in the facility, according to the police, was between 80 and 90 individuals.49 The floors of the three larger rooms were covered with mattresses, which looked unhygienic and dirty, for those who did not have a bed. The problem of overcrowding at the airport detention facility was also reported in articles in the press, which noted that, on some occasions, the number of detained persons in the facility reached 240.50 According to a statement made to the press by a police officer at the airport, “Every time a representative of AI or the UNHCR visits the area, the reality is being ‘hidden’ with the immediate transfer of detainees to other detention areas.”51 Poor conditions of detention in general are recognized by the police authorities. In particular, the Panhellenic Federation of Police Officers stated that they are very concerned about the detention, transfer and deportation conditions of “illegal migrants”, the insufficient human resources and infrastructure, as well as the inadequate hygiene and security in the workplace and especially in detention facilities in police stations and the areas where migrants are being accommodated.52 In conclusion, Amnesty International is concerned that most Dublin II returnees interviewed by the organization had been detained upon their arrival in Greece, and is also concerned about the detention conditions, especially the overcrowding, lack of hygiene, detention of unaccompanied minors and pregnant women, and incidence of alleged ill-treatment. 4.2. DIFFICULTIES IN LODGING ASYLUM APPLICATIONS ASYLUM PROCEDURES DIRECTIVE Article 6 (5) Member States shall ensure that authorities likely to be addressed by someone who wishes to make an application for asylum are able to advise that person how and where he/she may make such an application and/or may require these authorities to forward the application to the competent authority. When I got to Greece they just kicked me out of the airport without explaining anything to me. S., asylum-seeker from Afghanistan Article 4 of PD 90/2008, on procedures for recognition of refugee status, stipulates that “every foreign national or stateless person has the right to submit an asylum application”. Registered asylum-seekers should be informed about the procedure, their rights and obligations, the deadlines and the result of their application in a language that they understand (Article 8). Amnesty International is concerned that, in practice, provisions in Greek law which protect the right to apply for asylum are not fully implemented and that some individuals returned to Greece under the Dublin Regulation have been unable to gain access to an asylum determination procedure. Index: EUR 25/001/2010 Amnesty International March 2010