The respondent stated that he was unable to contact his lawyer whilst detained because he did not have any money to pay for the service, despite his lawyer being provided by the state

The respondent, an Algerian man aged 18-25, was apprehended between July and December 2021 while exiting the entrance of the University in Thessaloniki. The testimony describing the violent apprehension can be found HERE. 

After he was apprehended, he was taken to what he referred to as Colombo police station, and later on, to the Thessaloniki Police Headquarters, where he was detained for approximately eight days.“In Megalo I knew that I was going to prison, I just felt it. So I spent the whole 8 days sleeping.” After eight days, at approximately five o’clock, the respondent was loaded into a van with two officers in civil clothing and driven to Metabo police station where he stayed for approximately one hour. 

Following this, a blue bus with four cells inside, which the respondent explained collected many people from different places to bring them to the prison, arrived at the station and the respondent was transferred to Nigrita prison. There were reportedly 30 other people transferred in the bus with the respondent. The respondent recalled that he had been informed of what he was being charged with and that he was aware of having received a two year sentence before being brought to the prison. The respondent noted that during the process that followed his arrest, he had access to a free state lawyer. He reportedly did not need a translator because he spoke the language. 

The respondent stated that he did not have any complaints about the conditions in Nigrita; upon arrival, he received a good quality mattress, sheets and a pillow as well as a toothbrush, toiletries and hygiene products to clean the room. “I’ve got nothing to complain about.” He reported having his belongings confiscated but was given back everything shortly after. The respondent described sharing a four person room with two other people thus there were three of them in total. The room reportedly had one bunk bed and the rest were single beds. According to the respondent, there was a heater in the room but no air conditioning. When asked about the food, the respondent stated that they received two meals a day and the rest you could buy from the market; they did not receive food in the mornings. The respondent explained that lists were collected on Fridays of the supplies people needed (cigarettes, etc.) and the rest could be purchased with cash from vending machines within the prison.

The respondent then explained that detainees, after a morning head count is done, have access to an outdoor area (approximately 25 square metres in size) from 7:30 in the morning until seven or eight o’clock in the evening. The doors are reportedly semi-automatic meaning they open and close on schedule every day.  There is also reportedly a gym that detainees can access. 

When asked about access to medical assistance, the respondent replied that it is readily available any time someone requires medical attention.

The respondent noted that treatment from the officer at the prison was normal, “If you don’t do any problems they won’t do anything back.”

Detainees reportedly do not have access to their mobile phone and rely on public fax machines to communicate with people outside of the prison. The respondent stated that he was unable to contact his lawyer whilst detained because he did not have any money to pay for the service, despite his lawyer being provided by the state. According to the respondent, there were only CCTV cameras in the hallways.  

Reportedly, there were detainees from many different countries in Nigrita, including Pakistan, 

Afghanistan, Greece, Syria, Iraq and Algeria. The respondent explained here that he felt very frustrated because the rule of law is applied differently to everyone and it is really “random” and hard to follow; the same crime can lead to extremely different sentencing depending on the individual. 

According to the respondent, the people working in the prison are prisoners and they also buy their cigarettes from the market and do not have access to their mobile phones. 

When this testimony was taken, the respondent was in the process of claiming asylum.