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90.
The inmate accommodation consisted of nine dormitories and one room with a single bed.
Six of the dormitories were seriously overcrowded with scarcely 2m² per prisoner26and the situation
in a seventh dormitory (which was split into two sections with a 9m² area accommodating four
persons and a 15m² area with six beds) was hardly better. Conditions in the remaining two
dormitories27, reserved for those prisoners who worked in the kitchen or on other administrative
duties, were less cramped though far from ideal.
In each of the six large dormitories the delegation observed that up to five inmates did not
have a bed of their own; instead, mattresses were placed in the passageway between the rows of beds.
However, during the day these mattresses had to be taken away and hence these prisoners had no
space of their own. Further, none of the prisoners had their own lockable drawers or any place to store
their possessions. The only items of furniture in each dormitory was one table with five or six chairs.
91.
In addition to overcrowding the dormitories were in a state of disrepair. In many of the
dormitories one of the two toilets did not function and one or more of the washbasins were broken.
Further, the delegation observed that in one case there was seepage from a toilet into the bathroom
of the dormitory below. In order to maintain a modicum of cleanliness it is essential that the
prisoners are provided with the necessary hygiene and cleaning products, which was not the case at
the time of the visit.
There were numerous complaints of the mattresses being infested with parasites and the
delegation observed that many of the prisoners displayed rashes on their skins. From discussions
with the management of the prison, it was evident that fumigation of the mattresses was neither
carried out with enough frequency nor with sufficiently effective resources. Further, the majority of
inmates did not possess adequate bedding. Those that did have sheets claimed they had not been
washed for three months. The delegation was also informed by many prisoners that in winter the
heating system did not function effectively, and that the windows did not shut properly.
92.
Komotini Judicial Prison , situated outside the town of Komotini in north-west Greece, has
an official capacity of 105 prisoners. At the time of the delegation’s visit the prison held 241 male
prisoners; 152 sentenced and 89 on remand. The two-storey accommodation block is composed of
some 21 cells and eight dormitories divided between each floor. Both the cells, with four prisoners
in 9.5m², and the dormitories with some 20 to 25 prisoners were overcrowded. Further, complaints
were heard about the heating system during winter.
26
27
There were two dormitories of 42m², 48m² and 53m², accommodating 20, 24 and 24 persons respectively.
One was 23m² with 6 beds; and the other 28m² with 10 beds, divided into two rooms by a partition.
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