Greece: Victims of torture detained under ‘dysfunctional’ asylum syst

Mandatory reception and identification procedures that have existed on the Greek mainland since September 2022 have had a serious impact on vulnerable asylum seekers, according to a report published on Thursday (November 16).

The report – titled ‘Protection Unavailable’ – is based on research by the Mobile Info Team (MIT) and Refugee Legal Support (RLS) into conditions in the Malakasa and Diavata reception centers on the mainland over the past year.

Interviews conducted by the two groups with asylum seekers in the centers reveal that victims of torture and other vulnerable people have been mistreated and retraumatized as a result of being detained.

The groups say the findings show that the Greek government has broken a promise it made a year ago to establish a mechanism to identify and prioritize vulnerable asylum seekers in the registration system.

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Mustafa: ‘The first steps I took in this country put me in prison’

One asylum seeker interviewed by the researchers, 35-year-old Mustafa*, said that when he first arrived in Greece he felt confused and scared, but had no idea where to turn for help. The Sudanese man had suffered torture, but he was unable to find legal assistance or make authorities aware of his situation. He said he was arrested, mistreated, and detained for two weeks in a police station.

“I had an operation recently and I cannot tolerate my hands being handcuffed behind me. But the police officer refused to handcuff my hands in front of me, he said I would be a danger to them.

“I was confused. I expected that when I got to Greece, I would have my freedom. But the first steps I took in this country put me in prison,” Mustafa told the researchers.

System ‘a gamble’

Asylum seekers in Greece – both on the mainland and the islands – are held in closed reception and identification centers for 25 days while they wait for registration. They are also meant to go through a screening procedure which involves a ‘vulnerability check’ by a qualified professional.

Under Greek law, people who are considered vulnerable are entitled to the state’s protection, MIT’s Manon Louis told InfoMigrants. The list of vulnerabilities is long and includes minors, direct relatives of those killed in shipwrecks, people with disabilities, elderly people, pregnant women, single parent families with minor children, victims of trafficking, people with serious illnesses and mental disability, and victims of torture, rape and other forms of violence or exploitation.

But according to MIT and RLS, in practice, proper screening is not taking place. “It’s extremely inconsistent. The only people who managed to get vulnerability screening were the people who had a lawyer,” explained Louis, who edited the report.

She adds that pressure on authorities who are meant to carry out medical and vulnerability checks has increased due to the recent increase in arrivals in Greece. “They are just not taking place or they are extremely rushed.” 

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Increased harm

The report also highlights that for many vulnerable asylum seekers, being held in a closed center increases the risk of additional harm through ‘retraumatization’.

“If you’re being put back into detention, people who’ve experienced severely traumatic journeys really risk this retraumatization,” said Louis.

This was the experience of Mustafa, who explained how he was forced to relive his imprisonment in Sudan:

“I couldn’t communicate with any person because I was scared and the space was small,” he is quoted in the report as saying.

“I don’t like small spaces with a lot of people because it reminds me of the detention centers back home… I didn’t understand anything and I didn’t have anybody to ask.”

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In addition to retraumatization, vulnerable asylum seekers have been left without treatment for serious medical conditions while they waited for months to register their asylum, the report says.

It tells of a Syrian single father of a 17-year-old girl with a serious heart condition who reported that, after being apprehended at sea, threatened by the Greek coast guard and denied food and water on board, they were transferred directly to the Malakasa center without undergoing any vulnerability screening.

Despite asking to leave, the man said they were detained for 22 days without access to medical care.

* Mustafa is a pseudonym used in the report