Detention and Reception Conditions

Greece has been condemned many times by the European Court of Human Rights for its inhuman and degrading detention conditions. With the massive inflow of European funds in the last two years, new facilities have been opened, ‘hotspots’ and emergency reception sites have been established, re-organized, re-built and renovated many times. Yet, this could not prevent dozens of refugee deaths and inhuman conditions. To the contrary it even resulted in a number of suicide attempts and psychological trauma and illnesses among the residents.

At recent additional detention facilities on the Aegean Islands authorities plan to detain rejected asylum seekers, including those whose asylum claims were found inadmissible, in order to facilitate and secure the planned fast deportations to Turkey.

The implementation of indiscriminate detention policy together with an insufficient reception framework results in a large number of persons seeking asylum in Greece not receiving protection. It also leads to an asylum policy which is problematic.

RSA  works continuously to highlight the impact that such policies have upon asylum-seekers and put pressure to the authorities so that these policies are brought in line with international human rights and refugee law .