Interviews with Greek lawyers who have represented clients undergoing screening in RICs indicated that in practice people may be issued the deprivation of liberty document up to weeks after their physical entry to a RIC, and lawyers are not necessarily informed when this decision is made and the screening procedure initiated, rendering it difficult for them to represent their clients in some cases. One respondent reported that they received the deprivation of liberty document at the end of their de facto detention at Malakasa RIC. Another case was reported by a Greek lawyer of a group of shipwreck survivors who entered Malakasa RIC at the end of 2022 and were held in a state of de facto detention for approximately two weeks before receiving the deprivation of liberty decision from the camp authorities, a clear contravention of Greek domestic law. “Nobody told us [the reason we had to stay beyond 25 days]. The thing is the office was closed and we knew that according to the calendar [i.e. a public holiday] there was no one in the office to work and to process our documents. For that reason we knew that it would take more than 25 days.” Male respondent from Afghanistan, 22 years Aside from unlawful practices in the implementation of restriction of movement within RICs, respondents reported that being deprived of their liberty for the sole purpose of reception and identification had a significant impact on their psychological wellbeing. A 28 year-old male respondent from Iraq explained: “The only problem we have is that we don’t have freedom to go outside [Malakasa RIC]. We don't have freedom. For sure it impacts us psychologically. I would rather they transfer me to an open camp and they manage to get my access quickly, because people here are very far from the city, they can’t even go to the market, and they have no money to spend, so it’s a very hard situation inside.” In six cases respondents reported that they did not undergo the screening process until several days after their entry to a RIC, contributing to feelings of frustration, and a well-founded perception that the deprivation of liberty measure was arbitrary and unnecessary. “Some people stay 25 days, some people stay 1 week, 2 weeks, it’s random,” said one male respondent from Syria. 31

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