A/HRC/16/52/Add.4
relatives since the detainees cannot access a bank. Otherwise he described the treatment and
the condition of detention as adequate.
A.R., aged 24, from Iran had been detained at the facility for 43 days. He attempted to get
to Italy in a boat but his boat got into trouble and he landed in Greece. The coast guard
were very helpful; they helped everyone out of the boat. There were three persons in his
container. The conditions were good, there were showers and the food was not bad.
Hamza Haili and Shadia Haili, from Iraq, and their three children aged 5, 6 and 7 have
been detained at the facility for 45 days. In September they came from Turkey in a small
boat and there was a problem with the boat and the coast guard helped them. There used to
be fifteen persons in the container but now only two families share a container – the other
family was a woman with her two children. The mattresses were not very good. The
children had lice; they had skin problems and were cold. The food was not good. They had
a fridge and the drinking water was ok. The police have been kind to the children and let
them run around.
H.A.H., aged 16, from Iraq has been detained in the facility for 40 days. He gave a
document to a lawyer he hired to prove his age but he has never received his identification
back and never seen the lawyer again. The day before he met with UNHCR officers and an
interpreter. He was waiting to be sent to another island to a juvenile centre where the
facilities were less restricted.
Chios Prison, Chios Island
Visited on 15 October 2010
The Special Rapporteur was received by Prison Director, Mihalis Gialis who ran the prison
since 1972 and his brother Argyris Gialis, chief guard since 1983.
The prison consists of 6 chambers with 18 beds and 2 mattresses each and 3 chambers with
10 beds each. In addition, there is one cell for 2 people used for the elderly or sick and one
cell for solitary confinement. The capacity of the prison is 120 but at the time of the visit
163 persons were being detained. Of all prisoners 52 were pre-trial detainees and 105
foreign nationals. There are 62 persons working at the prison in 4 shifts. The severe
overcrowding had increased the problems with drugs and inter-prisoner violence.
According to the director, the prison had been renovated and cleaned over the last weeks. A
doctor came every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The prison regime is as follows: At
7.45am the gates open and detainees can go to the inner yard; 8 am breakfast; at 11 the yard
is closed but they can move freely inside the building; 11.30 lunch; 12 medicine; 12.30
head count and order to go back to the chambers; at 3 pm the chambers open again and
from 3.15 to sunset they can go to the yard; 7.30 medication; and at 8 pm the gates close
again.
The cells were very small and overcrowded. At the time of the visit, the cells were fairly
clean although some cells had problems with cockroaches. Many prisoners complained
about the diet and hygiene conditions. There were little recreational activities offered to the
detainees and only 41 detainees could work at the prison which was decided by a special
committee. The health care provided was inadequate and the doctor was young and
inexperienced. Conjugal visits were not allowed and permission of visits was only granted
for direct blood relatives but not for friends. The detainees stated that it was difficult to
complain or be heard in case of arbitrary or discriminatory treatment. In comparison to
other prisons, such as Kos and Komotini which were both much more overcrowded but
taken well care of by their respective directors, the overall conditions of Chios Prison were
fairly poor.
42
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents