20 years of combating torture: CPT General Report 2008-2009 Report on the ad hoc visit to Greece in September 2008 and response of the Greek authorities (treatment of persons detained by law enforcement agencies and conditions in facilities for irregular migrants) 58. The information gathered during the 2008 visit indicated that persons apprehended in Greece continued to run a considerable risk of being ill-treated by law enforcement officials. To combat this phenomenon, the CPT has emphasised, among other things, the importance of investigations being instigated immediately after allegations have been received by a prosecutor and of them being conducted in a thorough and expeditious manner. The Greek authorities contest the findings of the Committee, but reiterate their commitment to provide law enforcement officials with appropriate training on human rights issues and to severely sanction any official who violates the law. They refer to the role of the Ombudsman in receiving complaints and consider that the existing system of administratively independent structures within the Hellenic Police Force is sufficient for dealing with complaints and allegations of illtreatment by the police. 59. The CPT found that, in practice, persons deprived of their liberty by law enforcement officials did not always have an effective right to certain basic guarantees, such as the rights of access to a lawyer and to a doctor, or to be informed of their rights in an appropriate language. As for conditions of detention in police and border guard stations, the Committee notes that poor material conditions are exacerbated by overcrowding and the practice of detaining persons for prolonged periods in such establishments. The Greek authorities provide details of ongoing renovations to meet the concerns of the CPT. 60. As regards special facilities for irregular migrants, the CPT’s report refers to the general squalor and unhygienic detention conditions in the Pagani centre in Mytilini, caused by severe overcrowding; it also points to the poor conditions in the Athens centres of Petrou Ralli and Aspropyrgos. In contrast, the Filakio centre provided acceptable conditions at the time of the 2008 visit. The Committee has recommended that minimum operating standards, as required by the 2005 Aliens Law, be adopted for all facilities holding irregular migrants and that the provision of health care in such facilities be improved, including through a systematic medical screening of all detained irregular migrants. 61. In response, the Greek authorities refer to various measures being taken to provide appropriate conditions of detention for irregular migrants, despite the sudden influxes into places such as Mytilini. Further, they announce that a new Directorate for Migration Policy has been established to better manage the various holding facilities for irregular migrants. The Greek authorities also draw attention to the increasing numbers of migrants entering the country and their efforts to stem the tide through strengthening co-operation with neighbouring countries. Report and response published June 2009, CPT/Inf (2009) 20 and CPT/Inf (2009) 21 30