Although they did not understand the papers, they were reportedly not provided with a translator.

The respondent, a man from Syria aged 31-45 years old, was part of a transit group consisting of four other Syrian people aged between 17 and 40 years old. They reportedly crossed the border from Turkey to Greece on a dinghy in late 2021 and were apprehended by the authorities in Evros when they reached Greek territory. The testimony describing the violent apprehension, when the respondent and one other person from the group were arbitrarily accussed of smuggling can be found here.

After being held at a police station in Didymoteicho, they were brought to the court in Orestiada. The court reportedly ruled that the respondent’s trial would take place in six months time and he was subsequently taken to Orestiada police station and then to Komotini prison.

When they arrived at Komotini, the respondent and the other man on trial had their fingerprints and photos taken and they also signed some papers, recalled the respondent. Although they did not understand the papers, they were reportedly not provided with a translator. Furthermore, they were reportedly informed by police that they had the right to hire a lawyer. 

After nine months in Komotini, the respondent was reportedly transferred to Nafplion prison, which according to him, is an agricultural prison. He had asked to go there intentionally because he was told his release would come sooner from there. The respondent reported that there were about 60 persons detained in the prison at the time of his arrival. When asked to describe the conditions of the prison, the respondent stated that the buildings had a mix of big rooms where up to 16 people stayed and smaller rooms where eight people were kept. The respondent himself was living in a room 13 square metres in size with 16 other people from different countries. He reported that everyone had access to a bed and that the standard of hygiene within the prison was very good. He further explained that the people detained in the prison made the cleaning schedule and cleaned every day. The respondent reported that the showers always had hot water and that the detainees received two meals a day which were of a low quality and small portions. The detainees were not allowed to have their phones, recalled the respondent, but they did have the opportunity to buy credit and use fixed phones within the prison.

When asked if he had access to a lawyer during his detention the respondent replied: 

“You have to do it yourself. The personal lawyers are better. The paid lawyers are better than the ones that the government provides so that’s why everybody even if they don’t have money they don’t ask for a lawyer from the government.”

He also stated that he had access to medical support whilst detained, and specifically recalled getting an X-ray and a Corona test during that time “There is a doctor and a psychologist inside, yes. If you ask for a doctor you will find one. There was no problem getting a doctor. Medical support if you need, you wait two to three days after asking and you go to a doctor.” 

There were reportedly eight to ten people always patrolling the prison while the respondent was detained. He reported that the detainees were treated relatively well by the staff at the prison. “It was fine. There wasn’t any racism”. The respondent said that the treatment in Komotini prison and Nafplion prison was the same. 

He was reportedly kept in Nafplion prison for approximately three months and was then released based on “forced residency” [parole] where he has to regularly report to an authority to sign some papers.

When asked if he knew what had happened to the other people he had crossed into Greece with, the respondent replied: “They took them to the detention camp - Fylakio - and they stayed there for six months. After six months they were released. They made it to Austria. The other man who was with me stayed with me the whole time because we had the same case, until we were released five months ago together.”