limitation on the Greek Eastern Aegean Islands, see Reception Conditions, Freedom of movement and Identification. In practice, those arriving on the Eastern Aegean islands and falling under the EU-Türkiye Statement are subject to a “restriction of freedom of movement” decision issued by the Head of the RIC. The decision is revoked once the registration by the RIC is completed, usually within a couple of days. A ‘restriction of freedom of movement’ is imposed to newcomers for a period of 25 days, within which applicants are not allowed to exit the RIC whether their registration and identification by the RIS has been concluded or not. At the same time, a removal decision “based on the readmission procedure” and a pre-removal detention order are issued by the competent Police Directorate upon arrival, parallel to the decision of the Head of the RIC. The removal decision and detention order are suspended by a “postponement of deportation” decision of the General Regional Police Director. The latter decision imposes a geographical restriction, ordering the individual not to leave the island and to reside – in most cases – in the RIC or another accommodation facility on the island until the end of the asylum procedure. Once the asylum application is lodged, the same geographical restriction is imposed by the Asylum Service. For more details on the geographical limitation on the Greek Eastern Aegean Islands, see Reception Conditions, Freedom of movement. It is due to this practice of indiscriminate and en masse imposition of the geographical limitation measures to newly arrived persons on the islands that a significant deterioration of the living conditions on the islands has occurred. The CCACs’ dominant trait is the prison-like environment, as the sites are highly securitised and fortified with multiple layers of fencing around the site’s periphery and around each accommodation section within the centre and private security and police personnel guard each fenced section around the clock. To access the administrative services’ office inside the camp, residents must hold an asylum card and pass through a gate manned by a security officer and be subject to a security check and body check with a metal detector. Samos CCACs are in use but are still not fully operational. In Kos CCAC, the majority of the facilities were hailed as significant improvements to residents’ quality of life by the European Commission and the Greek authorities, such as medical sections, restaurant and communal areas, IT ‘labs’, distribution points for non-food items as well as playgrounds, have never been used. In Kos CCAC, as well as incarceration, there is a lack of interpretation and an inability to communicate needs. The institutional management of applicants as persons 'in custody’ often becomes a springboard for rude and racist behaviour towards residents. In Lesvos, during the last months of 2022, due to increased arrivals, there was limited housing capacity in the CCAC, and consequently, several residents, even families with children, ended up living in tents without electricity, despite the weather conditions. (See Reception Conditions). Moreover, unaccompanied children, are prohibited from exiting the fenced “SAFE AREA” container section of CCACs guarded by security personnel, and subject to “restriction of liberty” until their placement in shelters for minors. Since November 2022, the waiting period for the placement of UAMs residing in island CCACs in shelters for minors was reported to have increased up to an average of two months (Samos, Leros, Kos). Concerns have also been expressed about the absence of creative activities during the day and confinement in a non-child friendly, prison–like environment, especially when the waiting time for placement has increased.155 Since the implementation of the EU-Türkiye Statement, all newcomers are registered by the RIS. 156 In 2022, the registration of the newcomers carried out by the RIS on the island RICs was conducted within a few days, however significant shortcomings or lack of provision of medical and psychosocial assessment/services as required by law, due to the insufficient number or absence of medical staff working in the RIC on the islands (see also Identification). 155 156 Data available to GCR by the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the MoMA. Article 8(2) L 4375/2016 as amended by Article 116(3) L 4636/2019, Article 9 L 4375/2016 as amended by Article 39 IPA; see also, Ministerial Decree No 1/7433, Governmental Gazette Β 2219/10.6.2019, General Operation Regulation of the RICs and the Mobile Units of Reception and Identification. 46