Medical aid group slams conditions, length of detention for migrants in Greece

ATHENS, Greece, April 1 – In a report released Tuesday, Medicines Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, expressed “grave concerns” and urged Greece to “put an end to the systematic and indiscriminate use of detention” for migrants found in the country without the correct documentation נmany often picked up during random checks after living in Greece for years.
Respiratory and skin diseases abound, exacerbated by unsanitary, crowded conditions, the group said, and detainees were displaying increased mental health problems including suicide attempts or extreme forms of protest such as sewing up their mouths.
In one center, dozens of migrants are locked in cells without access to toilets for 22 hours a day, allowed out only for an hour in the morning and another in the evening, said Ioanna Kotsioni, who handles migration issues for MSF.
Throughout the system, migrant detainees lacked access to basic items such as clothing, clean bedding and personal hygiene items such as soap, toothpaste and detergent, MSF said.
Greece is one of the main entry points for migrants trying to gain access into the European Union.
More than 6,000 people are held in migrant detention centers pending deportation, MSF said. Hundreds, possibly thousands, more are held in police holding cells where conditions are even worse as detainees have no access to the outdoors, and often have no fresh air or natural light.