{"id":24886,"date":"2025-11-13T11:01:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/?p=24886"},"modified":"2025-11-13T12:04:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T10:04:00","slug":"my-experience-in-detention-and-my-hopes-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/my-experience-in-detention-and-my-hopes-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"My Experience in Detention and My Hopes for the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"24886\" class=\"elementor elementor-24886 elementor-24870\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e91cf06 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e91cf06\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-490af4a elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"490af4a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-0c49360 elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/2025\/11\/13\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>November 13, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-93b907c elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"about\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-tags\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-terms\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/topics\/detention-and-reception-conditions\/detention\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">Detention<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/topics\/detention-and-reception-conditions\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">Detention and Reception Conditions<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/publications\/news-2\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/publications\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">Publications<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/topics\/quality-of-the-asylum-procedure\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">Quality of the asylum procedure<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/topics\/rule-of-law-in-greece\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">Rule of Law in Greece<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/category\/topics\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">Topics<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9987de7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"9987de7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4600612 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4600612\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">My Experience in Detention and My Hopes for the Future<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-693ae56 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"693ae56\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Voices from Detention: The following testimony was collected by RSA in October 2025. Sawar* was affected by the three-month asylum suspension in Greece, and spent two and a half months in administrative detention. His account reflects the harsh conditions and the despair experienced by many people deprived of their liberty and access to asylum, but also the strength to hope and rebuild life.\n<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ecd8d08 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ecd8d08\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09be824 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"09be824\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f68c84c elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f68c84c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were a few hundred people in the detention centre, but only a handful of toilets and two bathrooms. The water was always cold. We were not allowed to go anywhere because we were detained. We received food only once a day at 1 o\u2019clock, and the next meal would come again at 1 o\u2019clock the following day. Every person received two large bottles of water.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inside one container, there were sometimes 15 people, sometimes 8 or 9. Many people developed skin problems because we had no soap or clean clothes. We wore the same clothes we had from Libya. I had only a black jacket, and my trousers were the same ones I wore when I left Libya. I still had the open shoes I came with. I asked for shoes and warm clothes, but we received nothing. No organisation came to help us.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I slept in a container with six people. I slept on the ground with only a blanket. We kept our room clean ourselves because no one else did. In the room where I am staying now, there are ten people, and still there is no warm water.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never saw a doctor during my time in detention. Whenever I asked, they told me, \u201cTomorrow.\u201d When I was sick, I just stayed in bed until I felt better. There were also people with disabilities who were taken downstairs. In the camp where I am now, there is a small clinic nearby. When I had the flu, I went there, and they gave me medicine.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was no interpreter in detention. The officers just gave us papers to sign and said, \u201cIf you want to translate, do it yourself.\u201d I never saw an interpreter, except once for Arabic. We had to struggle to communicate and understand everything by ourselves.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I spent two and a half months in detention. During that time, I felt unwanted, as if no one cared about me. Everyone knows that our people have suffered so much, yet we were treated as if we didn\u2019t matter.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I was in detention, the police officers and guards were not kind to us. They did not like black people and often used violence. I remember one day when I tried to ask an officer when we were going to leave the camp. He looked at me and said, \u201cYou are a dog.\u201d I answered, \u201cI am not a dog.\u201d Another man once asked me, \u201cWhy are you black?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day, while three of us &#8211; all black men &#8211; were standing in line waiting for food, one officer told us that we were criminals. That hurt deeply.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People in the camp tried to protest. They shouted, \u201cWe want to go out!\u201d One man joined the protest, and the police tried to stop him. Four policemen entered a room where two people were inside and started beating them. There was no fight among us; we only wanted freedom and better treatment.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the lawyers came, everything began to change. We said, \u201cThey are our hope, they will help us get out.\u201d Without them, we would still be inside. There was one man who almost lost his mind; he cried every day.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, I feel much better. I have started to see hope and a future again. During detention, I felt hopeless, and at one point, I even thought about taking my own life because I felt that life had no meaning. But now I feel different. The police in this new place treat us better. They talk to us with respect, and things are peaceful.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Life is still not easy, but at least now I have hope. Everyone here has their own problems. What we need most are clothes, warmth, and the opportunity to work. This is a new place for us, and we want to start a new life.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My father is sick, and I want to find work so I can help my family and give them a better life. I am also here in Greece to continue my studies, to build a future for myself, and to contribute to society. I will respect and follow the rules of Greece and do my best to live peacefully within the community.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f6418a1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f6418a1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-947de54 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"947de54\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89266d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"89266d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/suspension-of-asylum-in-greece-rights-vilations\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Suspension of Asylum in Greece: Detention, Uncertainty, and Rights Violations<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8457366 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"8457366\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24fbae5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"24fbae5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>* The name has been changed to protect safety and privacy.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c8791b elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"7c8791b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-76a0de2\" itemprop=\"about\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-tags\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-terms\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/tag\/2025-2\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">2025<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/tag\/featured\/\" class=\"elementor-post-info__terms-list-item\">featured<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voices from Detention<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":24909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[248,141,8,5,274,343,137],"tags":[336,18],"class_list":{"0":"post-24886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detention","8":"category-detention-and-reception-conditions","9":"category-news-2","10":"category-publications","11":"category-quality-of-the-asylum-procedure","12":"category-rule-of-law-in-greece","13":"category-topics","14":"tag-2025-2","15":"tag-featured"},"menu_order":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24886"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24944,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24886\/revisions\/24944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}