A/HRC/16/52/Add.4 leave the country, and some were even prevented from returning to their countries of origin despite having a valid ticket. 43. At the Criminal Investigation Departments (CIDs), the conditions of detention were particularly appalling. At the CIDs of Omonia, Agiou Panteleimonos and Akropolis in Athens, the Special Rapporteur found more than 40 foreigners held in irregular and apparently unofficial detention areas. It appeared that these people were being excluded from the official statistics which were communicated to the Ministry of Citizen’s Protection on a daily basis. The non-registration of detainees significantly increases the risk of being subjected to torture or ill-treatment. The detention areas were in no way designed for even short-term detention. The detention areas of the CIDs visited were overcrowded, providing insufficient lighting, ventilation and bedding. The detainees were forced to sleep on benches or the floor for sometimes up to two weeks. In terms of sanitary conditions, access to drinking water or the toilets was severely limited. The toilets were often located outside the cells, creating an unnecessary dependence of the detainees on officers. Showers or washing rooms were not available at all. Many detainees complained that they received no food unless they paid for it themselves. 44. The border-guard stations in Soufli and Feres were facing immense problems due to the mass influx of aliens over the Greek-Turkish border. Despite their unsuitability for long-term detention, migrants and refugees were often detained in cells up to several months due to the lack of capacities in other facilities. In general the facilities were overcrowded, not providing many detainees with beds or even mattresses. The situation at the Feres Border Guard Station was particularly severe, holding 123 detainees in a facility designed for 28 at the time of the visit. In both border-guard stations that he visited, the cells were dirty, dark and cold with unhygienic and inadequate sanitary facilities. Furthermore, the detainees were inadequately provided with sanitary products. The overcrowding made any meaningful separation of men, women, and children, of migrants, refugees and smugglers, or of persons of different ethnic or religious background impossible. 45. Also in the two migration detention centres in the Evros region, Fylakio and Venna, which are designed for long-term detention, the conditions were inadequate to meeting the most basic needs of detainees. The required Ministerial Decision establishing those special facilities and prescribing minimum operational standards has never been issued. The maintenance of the centres in Fylakio and Venna and the care of the persons detained there were neglected by the prefectures responsible. The aliens being held for up to six months were hardly ever being left out of the dark cells to exercise or breathe fresh air. The facilities were run down and provided a very hostile environment for detention. There was inadequate staff to take care of the detainees and of interpreters to enable the communication between police officers and detainees adding to the frustration on both sides. Detainees were often provided with insufficient blankets or warm clothes despite the low temperatures in the Evros region. The cells were dirty and often infested with mice or insects. The sanitary conditions were especially appalling. In the arrival cell of Fylakio Migration Detention Center, the toilets were clogged and feces were flowing out of the bathrooms into the sleeping area. The Special Rapporteur found a serious lack of medical assistance in all facilities, creating serious problems as many aliens have medical conditions from their long journey or ill-treatment in their countries of origin. The detainees also frequently complained about a lacking access to phones or the high costs for making calls abroad. 46. A positive example was the Mersidini Migration Detention Centre in Chios, where the Chief employed by the prefecture took adequate care of the detainees. Due to the drop of immigration via the Mediterranean Sea, the centre was no longer overcrowded. The 12