A new report released today by Equal Rights Beyond Borders highlights the appalling conditions in the Kos Pre-Removal Detention Centre (Kos PRDC). This report is the fourth we’ve issued in a series of annual reports on the Kos PRDC and builds on our prior findings documenting the conditions and legal challenges faced by migrants detained on Kos.

Since opening our office on Kos in January 2021, Equal Rights has conducted extensive research on detention practices and conditions, examining both the legal frameworks and lived experiences of people detained on Kos. Following from previous reports, this year’s shorter update tracks the trajectory of immigration detention on Kos over the 2024 calendar year. This year’s report shows that conditions in the Kos PRDC have remained largely unchanged since our last report and continue to have a devastating impact on asylum seekers seeking protection in the European Union.

Among the report’s findings:

·       Despite a general decrease in the number of people detained in the Kos PRDC in 2024, the conditions worsened. People described unsanitary living areas and bathrooms, poor food quality, insufficient water, and a lack of recreational spaces and activities.

·       Access to healthcare, and mental healthcare, remained one of the most significant challenges facing people detained on Kos during the 2024 reporting period and there was still no permanent doctor operating inside the facility.

·       Interview participants consistently complained of ill treatment by the police, including verbal and physical abuse, sexual harassment, and the use of handcuffs to transfer people to medical appointments.

·       The available remedies for challenging detention on Kos remain inconsistent and ineffective, leaving people without access to an effective remedy.

·       After significant efforts by lawyers and advocates on Kos, Equal Rights did not document a single minor detained in the Kos PRDC for the first time since reporting began in 2021.

As with our previous reports, this year’s update raises significant concerns about both Greece’s and the EU’s commitment to human rights at its external borders. Looking ahead to the implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, Equal Rights is concerned about the risk that widespread detention will further erode people on the move’s basic right to liberty and dignity.

“The center is exactly like a jail and the fact that I cannot go outside [of the PRDC] troubles me . . . I am mentally and physically exhausted . . . Nine months is too much to be kept in detention and I feel broken . . . And helpless.” – Interview participant detained on Kos in 2024

Read the full report here.