- 15 2. Ill-treatment 15. In the course of the 2015 visit, the CPT’s delegation again received a significant number of credible allegations of physical ill-treatment of criminal suspects (including of juveniles)5 detained by the Hellenic Police. The allegations particularly related to excessive use of force by the police at the time of apprehension, after the person had been brought under control, as well as to the period of questioning by officers of the Security Departments. Alleged ill-treatment generally consisted of slaps, punches, kicks and truncheon blows (but also other objects) to the body and to the head. In a number of cases, the medical evidence – based on a physical examination of the persons concerned and/or consultation of medical files – revealed injuries that were consistent with the allegations of ill-treatment. 16. A number of detained persons interviewed at different police and prison establishments alleged that they had been subjected to excessive use of force during and after their apprehension. For example: i. Four young men, interviewed separately at the detention facilities on the 7th floor of Alexander Street Police Headquarters in Athens (GADA), alleged that they had been illtreated by officers of the DELTA rapid response motorcycle police unit in two separate incidents in the area of Exarchia during the night of 16 to 17 April 2015.6 All four gave credible and detailed accounts of their ill-treatment, which consisted of verbal insults, (hair-) pulling and pushing, but also repeated slaps, punches, truncheon blows and kicks with boots to various parts of the body, including to the head and the genitals. One of the four had subsequently been admitted to hospital, after repeated requests from his lawyer, where he was X-rayed. He was examined by the delegation’s forensic medical doctor on 18 April and displayed multiple blunt traumas (see case 1 of Appendix III). The dorsum of his right hand was considerably swollen and the skin was bruised and bluish violet in colour on an area measuring some 12x8cm. Another of the men also had multiple blunt traumas and reported many points on his scalp that were sensitive to palpation (see case 2 of Appendix III). In both cases, the injuries were consistent with the allegations of illtreatment. Video footage recorded by a neighbour at the same location and time as described by the four detained persons appears to support their allegations. The recording shows two Delta motorcycle police officers beating and dragging a young suspect, after he had been brought under control in the area of Exarchia.7 The CPT understands that an investigation has been launched into the recorded incident and would like to be informed about the outcome of this inquiry. 5 6 7 See paragraph 97. These incidents reportedly followed violent clashes between the police and anti-establishment protestors. The video appeared on the Internet and was subsequently screened in the news on Mega TV on 18 April. In addition, the CPT also received further reports of similar incidents of excessive use of force by police officers of the DELTA motorcycle police unit in the area of Exarchia in November 2014 and February 2015.