41
reference to any clear legal grounds.107 Issuing
under a restriction of freedom that is issued
an individualised and reasoned order is also a
within 5 days of entry. Art. 40 goes on to state
vital precondition before a state can deprive a
that if, at the end of the 5-day period, reception
person of their liberty. Article 8(2) RCD states
and identification procedures are ongoing the
that detention can only be ordered “on the
director of the CCAC may issue a decision that
basis of an individual assessment” and where it
extends the restriction for up to 25-days.110
proves necessary.108 Consequently, the lack of
Under Art. 40 this restriction of freedom
individual assessments and the absence of an
prohibits people from exiting the RIC or CCAC,
individual detention order are per se a violation
except for medical emergencies.111 Even so, the
of the foreseen procedural guarantees
authorities are still obliged to take steps to
safeguarding the rights of asylum seeker and
protect vulnerable persons and UAMs in
detainees. Moreover, because the authorities
particular.112
did not issue individualised detention orders,
they never assessed whether quarantine was
both necessary and the least restrictive
measure. The necessity of quarantine on Kos
was particularly undermined by the arrival of
more than 5.4 million tourists to the South
Aegean islands in 2022, who were not subject
to any Covid-19 measures.
109
The 25-day restriction orders are not unique to
Kos; as the Asylum Information Database
(AIDA) reported in its 2022 country report,
“those arriving on the Eastern Aegean islands
and falling under the EU-Turkey Statement are
subject to a ‘restriction of freedom movement’
issue by the Head of the RIC.”113 However, as
the AIDA report also notes “the decision is
revoked once the registration by RIC is
completed, usually within a couple of days”
C. 25-day Restriction of Freedom
1. Factual Situation
and only “[e]xceptionally, in Kos, a ‘restriction
of freedom of movement’ is imposed to
newcomers for a period of 25 days […]
Historically, asylum seekers on Kos were
regardless whether their registration and
subject to an automatic 25-day restriction of
identification by the RIS has been concluded or
liberty decision issued by the Director of the
not.”114
CCAC shortly following their arrival on the
island and release from quarantine. This
practice derives from Art. 40 of the Asylum
Code, which states that applicants for
international protection should be subject to
reception and identification procedures while
Quarantine Report, supra note 98, at 27-29. at 2729.
108
Art. 8 (2) Directive 2013/33/EU.
109
Money Review, Νότιο Αιγαίο: Νέο ρεκόρ
αφίξεων στα αεροδρόμια το καλοκαίρι του 2022
(16 November 2022), available at:
https://bit.ly/3wkSPbg.
110
Art. 40 L. 4939/2022.
107
The authorities issued 25-day restriction of
liberty orders to asylum seekers throughout
the entire period covered by this update.
However, the policies surrounding the
restriction of liberty orders were erratic,
Art. 40 L. 4939/2022.
Art. 40 L. 4939/2022.
113
Asylum Information Database (AIDA), Country
Report: Greece (May 2022), 44, available at:
https://bit.ly/3HoBcNX.
114
Asylum Information Database (AIDA), Country
Report: Greece (May 2022), 44, available at:
https://bit.ly/3HoBcNX.
111
112
‘Still detained and forgotten’ – Update on Detention Policies, Practices, and Conditions on Kos 2022/23