Report on the conditions in Pre-Removal Detention Centres in Greece: Joint Submission by Mobile Info Team, Border Criminologies and the Border Violence Monitoring Network

Reports from civil society actors in Greece have consistently documented the systemic nature of
abuses in Greece’s Pre-Removal Detention Centres. Research by the Border Violence Monitoring
Network has uncovered rampant violence in these centres, with 74% of detainees reporting either
experiencing or witnessing beatings and the conditions inside have been described as “deplorable” with
one interviewee stating that the bathrooms and rooms are “disgusting” and “full of insects”. Basic
services are denied, with 21% of detainees interviewed reporting no access to healthcare and official
documents showing that there were only six interpreters available for over 1,902 detainees at the end of
June 2024.

In a submission to the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) today, Border Criminologies, Mobile Info Team and the Border Violence Monitoring Network have called for urgent action. With a 99.2% detention rate in deportation procedures, Greece’s heavy reliance on administrative detention contravenes EU and international standards, further highlighting the urgent need for oversight and reform.

You can read the joint submission here.