The committee described the conditions in certain deportation centers as appalling. The report highlighted several issues, including poor hygiene, the presence of insects like bed bugs and cockroaches, and the spread of tuberculosis in one deportation center. Experts also noted that excessive security measures and unnecessary barbed wire fences surrounded the center.
The committee also condemned the conditions in the EU-funded registration camps in the Aegean Sea as inhumane and degrading. Some camps are reported to confine eight people within just ten square meters, creating an environment that is generally unsuitable and particularly harmful to children.
Furthermore, the experts urged Greece to cease “pushbacks”—the unlawful practice of rejecting refugees at the external border. According to the committee, Greece continues to return refugees to Turkey despite EU warnings, and unaccompanied minors are not exempt from these pushbacks.
In turn, Greek authorities have denied the European Commission’s accusations. They assert that the conditions in the centers meet international standards and that plans are in place to expand medical care within the facilities. Regarding the issue of returns, Greece emphasizes that its officials adhere strictly to international obligations.
The Council of Europe had previously criticized migrant detention conditions in Greece as far back as 2000 and had also condemned illegal returns.
