A/HRC/16/52/Add.4
because of the outside yard that they can access during the day, where they can see the
sunlight. There were no complaints about beatings or ill-treatment. Most of them
complained that they requested lawyers to help them, who charged them a lot of money and
never came back to visit them. They explain there is a mafia of lawyers taking advantage of
the precarious position of migrants. The Syrian detainees express big fears that due to the
readmission agreement between Turkey and Greece they will be deported back to Syria,
where they face risks of torture and years of jail.
Cell 2
Five male detainees from Iran were arrested by port authorities on a boat 80 days ago with
a group of 40 Iranians. The boat had broken down and they surrendered to the authorities
who towed them to the port of Santorini. Upon arrival at the port they were beaten, kicked,
hit with batons, and strangled by around 20 officers. They were forced to sign a document
in Greek they could not understand. They were afraid to apply for asylum before the Greek
authorities, having heard that this may entail negative consequences. They were detained in
Santorini for 20 days in a small warehouse together with women and children. It was very
overcrowded and dirty; they did not receive enough food, no sanitary products and had no
access to a doctor. They were only allowed to leave their cells 20 minutes a day. After a
few days they went on a hunger strike. When loudly protesting during their time out of the
cells, 8 police motorcycles came and the officers beat and kicked the protesters to force
them back in their cells. As a consequence they were not allowed to leave their cells for
eight days. They were transferred from Santorini to Aspropyrgos on a passenger boat where
they had to sit handcuffed in front of all passengers, which they experienced as very
humiliating. They were detained 27 days in Aspropyrgos in very overcrowded and dirty
cells with unhygienic toilets, no warm water, no clean clothes and no possibility to exercise.
Then they were transferred for one night to Thessaloniki and then one night to Venna from
where they were being deported to Turkey in the early morning without prior warning.
They had explained to the authorities at numerous occasions that upon return to Iran they
would risk being tortured. In Turkey they were held for 15 days. When the Turkish
authorities heard about their persecution in Iran, they sent them back to Greece. They had
been detained in Venna for 20 days and complained about the harsh treatment of the
officers and the poor conditions of detention.
A male detainee, aged 31, from Iran, complained about the psychological ill-treatment by
the officers, who would constantly humiliate, insult and bully them. For example, when the
detainees asked them to close the doors to the cell earlier at night they would close it later
just to bother them. The detainees are very intimidated by the officers. In one case he had
witnessed a 16 year old boy detainee being beaten for not being able to tie his shoelaces fast
enough when leaving the cell.
Five Male detainees from Palestine arrived at Venna eleven days ago. Upon arrival they
were forced to sign papers in Greek they did not understand. They would have been beaten
otherwise. They complained that it is very difficult to sleep at night. They had to share
mattresses on the floor where there are lots of mice. They have not left their cells more than
once since they arrived. They have no contact to the outside world since their phone cards
do not work with the phones at the facilities. Osama Alkhteb, aged 20, complained about
strong stomach pain and thus could not sleep. The doctor did not properly examine him and
gave him pain medication that did not help. B.H. aged 17, from Palestine, had been
detained for 20 days. He was incorrectly registered as an adult. He was very cold, only
wearing an undershirt and not being provided with any additional clothes.
A., aged 20, from Iraq, had been detained at Venna for 33 days. He fled Iraq as a member
of a persecuted religious sect. He was arrested at Feres Border Guard Station from where he
was transferred to Venna after some days. He was separated from his sister who could go to
37
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