"[T]hey threw gas bombs that make your eyes cry"

The respondent is an Egyptian national who arrived in Crete from Libya in August 2025 and was subjected to the suspension of asylum applications. He reported that upon arrival on the island he was apprehended by the police, along with around 70 other people (including minors), and taken to what he referred to as a police station, where he was held for 17 days. The respondent did not recall the name of the facility, but the description provided seems to correspond to The Hellenic Coast Guard security building in the port of Heraklion. He detailed that his cell phone was taken away by the authorities and that he was asked to share the passcode to unlock it. He reported “rough” conditions in the facility, describing the setting as “not clean”, receiving insufficient and poor-quality food provision, and experiencing ill-treatment by police officers. As he explained: “We were beaten up by the police multiple times." The respondent added that minors also faced violence at the hands of police officers, and that “They did ask for personal information, including age. So, they knew they were minors and still beat them.” He further reported that he did not receive any official documentation issuing a detention order while detained in Crete.

 

Regarding the detention conditions, the respondent described an overcrowded facility only consisting of 3 rooms without doors, each hosting approximately 20 people. He added that no access to outdoor spaces was provided, that they were not allowed to walk outside, and that the provision of facilities and items for personal hygiene was close to non-existent. As he explained: “The whole period [we stayed there] we had the same clothes, which had salt from the sea water, and we didn't shower. And we had to ask for permission to use the toilet.” Additionally, the respondent reported inadequate healthcare provision, with only “one nurse or first aid person” available in the facility and limited medication in stock, such as mild painkillers (paracetamol). No medical screening was reportedly carried out upon arrival. 

 

Following the 17 days held in Crete, the respondent reported being transferred to the Special Detention Facility of Serres in Sintiki. Reportedly, only once in Sintiki the respondent was returned his cell phone, received official documentation and had his fingerprints taken by the authorities. However, he voiced not being aware of the reasons for his detention, and added that “some people come and leave [...] Sudanese families, for example. But Egyptians and people from Bangladesh are not allowed to leave.” Additionally, the respondent described lacking communication from the facility’s staff and authorities, as well as experiencing hostile behaviour. In his words: “When you ask the authorities questions, they don't answer us. They tell us that [...] they are not responsible for answering our questions.” He added: “Sometimes, they are rude towards the detainees, they insult and they use low vocabulary.” The respondent reported that interpretation in Arabic and Bengali was provided in the facility.

 

In Sintiki, the respondent also described inadequate detention conditions, including lack of hot water for showering and no provision of items for personal hygiene such as soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste. He also reported that it was up to the detainees themselves to clean the spaces. Reportedly, clothes were provided once upon arrival. He described the food to be of decent quality compared to the previous facility, but described the expensive prices of the products sold by the market visiting the facility twice monthly. He added: “It doesn’t really matter if the market comes or not because we don’t have any money [...] and everything is very expensive. Like a small shampoo [costs] 5 euros.” He further described the space as a container with air conditioning hosting 5 people, equipped with beds but only thin blankets insufficient to keep people warm on cold nights.

 

Regarding healthcare provision, he explained that the site was provided with a clinic and what he described as “just first aid [staff]”, but access to this was reportedly restricted and needed to be authorised by the facility’s staff. He described it as even more difficult to be granted permission to get medical attention from a hospital, and added that “If there’s something serious, they’re taken to the hospital with two officers. And they handcuff the patient. [...] It’s never up to detainees about whether they go to the hospital; it’s always up to the medical team and officers.” He also explained that during his time there, there was an outbreak of a transmissible skin disease: “Most people have something like scabies. For this they can go to the clinic, as it is obvious that they are sick.” Finally, he added that there is the possibility to consult with a psychologist in the facility.

 

The respondent also reported episodes of violence in Sintiki to repress two protests involving 40 detainees in October 2025 and February 2026. As he further explained: “They protested twice, and in both [cases], they threw gas bombs that make your eyes cry. In the first protest, they threw 3, in the second protest, they threw 1. [...] In the first protest, then after they threw the tear gas, they entered the facility and beat a few people. The people who were beaten up were transferred to another facility after this incident happened.”