European committee urges Greece to improve “inhuman” conditions of detained migrants

The migrants in detention facilities the Greek Evros region and on the island of Samos of are held in conditions which could amount to “inhuman and degrading treatment”, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) said in a report issued on 19 November.
The CPT, which visited Greece in March 2020, reports that detained migrants are still held in large barred cells. The facilities lack adequate lighting and ventilation. In many cases, sanitary facilities are unhygienic and insufficient. Hygiene products are not always provided. Outdoor exercise time is also very limited in some cases. Many of these “squalid” facilities house men, women and even children.
The report also highlights credible allegations that migrants are being pushed back to Turkey on the Evros river border. Moreover, some migrants have reported that the Hellenic police and Coast Guard authorities had mistreated them. Common allegations included kicking, slapping and truncheon blows.

TMP _ 24/11/2020

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