In a report on its April and July 2016 visits to Greece, published today, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) raises concerns over the situation in the “hotspots” on the Aegean islands. It is highly critical of the continued immigration detention of unaccompanied children. The report criticises the situation of adult immigration detainees in Athens and Thessaloniki, and calls for action to tackle the problem of police ill-treatment.
In the report, the CPT is critical about the treatment of foreign nationals in the “hotspots” on the Aegean islands. In particular, overcrowding, combined with high levels of inter-detainee violence, insufficient basic health-care provision, inadequate assistance to vulnerable groups and deficient legal safeguards, has created a highly explosive situation.
The report is highly critical of the continued and routine detention of foreign national children for lengthy periods in poor living conditions and with insufficient care offered to them. While acknowledging the Greek authorities’ efforts to find additional accommodation, the CPT considers that the authorities should review their approach with regard to “protective custody” of unaccompanied children and end their immigration detention.
