The main objective of the visit was to examine the situation in prisons and to evaluate whether any progress had been made in implementing the Committee’s previous recommendations in relation to overcrowding, high levels of inter-prisoner violence, chronic staffing shortages, inadequate material conditions and poor health care. To this end, the report describes the critical findings from the visits undertaken to the two largest remand prisons in the country in Athens and Thessaloniki and to three new prisons for sentenced prisoners as well as the Korydallos Prison Health Centre (former prison hospital). The report also makes a series of recommendations challenging the current approach towards the management of prisons. Further, the CPT’s report is highly critical of the conditions in which prisoners are transported around the country and of the situation of prisoners held in transfer establishments managed by the Hellenic Police.

Particular attention was also paid to the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty by the police and the CPT’s report once again reiterates its concerns in relation to allegations of police ill-treatment and ineffective safeguards. The report also examines the way in which investigations into allegations of ill-treatment by police officers are carried out and makes a number of recommendations to improve the current approach.

The main conclusions of the CPT are set out in the executive summary of the report.

In their response, the Greek authorities provide information on the measures taken to implement the recommendations made in the CPT’s report.

The CPT report and the response of the authorities have been made public at the request of the Greek Government.

• Read the report
• Read the executive summary in English, in Greek
• Read the response
• The CPT and Greece