2.1 Conditions in temporary accommodation facilities on the mainland A total of 32 mainland camps, most of which were created in 2015-2016 as temporary accommodation facilities in order to address urgent reception needs on the mainland, following the imposition of border restrictions were operating in December 2020.791 However, following the continued drop in arrivals in 2021 (roughly 42% drop compared to 2020), 792 which coincides with the exponential increase of the number of reports and allegations regarding pushbacks at the borders, since March 2020, 793 these temporary accommodation facilities were reduced to 24 by March 2022.794 Following the closure and handover of the (former) Elaionas camp to the Municipality of Athens in December 2022, these have been further reduced by year’s end.795 Prior to the eviction of Elaionas’ residents and the camp’s ultimate closure, residents of the camp, as well as various solidarity groups, had protested on multiple occasions, inter alia requesting for the camp to remain open until a solution for their dignified accommodation within the urban fabric could be found, to not be “uprooted” again and forced to relocate to other mainland camps, as per the MoMA’s plan, and for the professionals previously providing them with psychosocial care to be re-employed.796 Amidst these reactions, questionable practices by the MoMA that have been characterised as “blackmailing” by the camp’s former employees 797, were reported at the end of August to have taken place, in an effort to convince the camp’s residents to accept their transfer to other camps or eviction. As noted by previous employees of Elaionas camp “[t]hey are not entitled to the continuation of the financial assistance (cash card) since they are automatically deleted from the facility, while the acceleration of the asylum procedure takes the form of a promise for those who consent [to be moved]. To this day, in an attempt to informally punish the protesting residents and to suppress their resistance, the administration staff refuses to provide them with any kind of service, e.g. refusing to hand over travel documents [...]". They further noted that “people with very serious health issues were not allowed to collect their personal belongings, while with regards to a visually impaired person awaiting possible surgery the [camp’s] administration [seems to have] said: "What [do you think] we are here to collect everyone?".798 These developments came after a June 2020 announcement by the MoMA that 60 mainland facilities, consisting of hotels used as emergency accommodation under the Filoxenia programme on the mainland, would be closed by the end of 2020. By 7 January 2021, the Filoxenia programme was officially terminated, pending the transfer of the last 130 beneficiaries to other accommodation facilities. 799 Regarding conditions in the mainland camps, these vary across facilities, as different types of accommodation and services are offered at each site. Therefore, notwithstanding the fact that camps are 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 IOM, Supporting the Greek Authorities in Managing the National Reception System for Asylum Seekers and Vulnerable Migrants (SMS): Factsheets, December 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/36YGhx1. UNHCR data portal, available at: https://bit.ly/3JXA7ep. As noted by UNHCR in June 2020 ‘Such [pushback] allegations have increased since March and reports indicate that several groups of people may have been summarily returned after reaching Greek territory’. UNHCR, ‘UNHCR calls on Greece to investigate pushbacks at sea and land borders with Türkiye’, 12 June 2020, available at: https://bit.ly/3tZ01Gt. Amongst many others, also see Arsis et. al., ‘Joint Statement on push backs practises in Greece’, 1 February 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3tWOTdc. IOM, Supporting the Greek Authorities in Managing the National Reception System for Asylum Seekers and Vulnerable Migrants (SMS), March 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/43mIVEv. A list of relevant facilities is available on the MoMA’s website, under ‘Facilities/Temporary Reception’ at: https://bit.ly/42b3wuv. However, the list is not necessarily accurate given that Elaionas is still listed as an operating facility. EfSyn, ‘They dynamically demand their stay in Elaionas camp’, 16 August 2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3V5LTKO; ‘The refugees of Elaionas say ‘No’ to second ‘uprooting’’, 8 August 2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/443jlFK and ‘Mobilisation refugees and solidarity groups’, 5 July 2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/41BSDlW. EfSyn, ‘They refute Mitarakis, talk about blackmailing practices of the administration’, 30 August 2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/40GYVj4. Ibid. MoMA,’Completion of the Filoxenia programme for asylum seekers in hotels’ (‘Ολοκλήρωση του προγράμματος Φιλοξενίας Αιτούντων Άσυλο σε ξενοδοχεία’), 7 January 2021, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3wfctn3. 168