COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE HEARS RESPONSE OF GREECE TO QUESTIONS ON ITS THIRD PERIODIC REPORT

CAT
26th session
3 May 2001
Afternoon




Delegation Says Police Raid Roma Camps where Inhabitants
Keep Arms and Deal with Drug-Trafficking


The Committee against Torture this afternoon heard the response of a Government delegation from Greece to questions raised over the course of its consideration of the third periodic report of that country which was presented yesterday to show Greece's compliance with the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The members of the Greek delegation told the Committee that Roma people often lived in isolation in tent-camps where they kept arms and dealt with drug-trafficking; that situation obliged police to intervene with the use of special forces. Police operations took place in specific regions because of increased criminality or illegal immigration as well as drug and weapon trafficking there. There was no racial motivation behind the police operations.

The delegation also said that there were 1,500 foreigners in Greek police stations awaiting deportation. A Committee member said that yesterday, there had been unrest in the seventh floor detention facilities of the Attica General Police Directorate on Alexandria Avenue where about fifty foreign detainees, mainly from Bangladesh and Pakistan, had rebelled and banged on doors and windows. The foreigners had been protesting their detention for two months with deportation procedures not yet initiated.

The Committee will issue its concluding observations and recommendations on the report of Greece at 3 p.m. on Tuesday 8 May in the presence of the country's representatives.

As one of the 123 States parties to the Convention against Torture, Greece is obligated to present periodic reports to the Committee on how it is implementing the provisions of the treaty.

Following its consideration of the report of Greece, the Committee continued its meeting in private.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Friday 4 May, it will take up the initial report of Slovakia (document CAT/C/24/Add.6).


Response of Greece

The delegation of Greece said that appropriate treatment was provided to detainees who fell ill. In the event that their health condition deteriorated, they were transferred to a public hospital where they received treatment. In addition, professional medical practitioners visited prisons on a regular basis to check the health situation of inmates. The health of prisoners was examined whenever a request was addressed in addition to the check-ups conducted every six months.

Roma often lived in isolated tent-camps where they kept arms and dealt with drug trafficking, the delegation said. That situation obliged police to intervene according to a "plan" with the use of special forces and depending on the danger the police personnel faced each time. The police operations took place in specific regions because of increased criminality or illegal immigration there as well as drug and weapon trafficking. There was no racial motivation behind the police operations.

With regard to cases in which policemen had sexually abused women, the delegation said that one policeman was dismissed from service and another two received a six-month suspension from service and their cases were pending before criminal courts.

Concerning article 11 of the Convention on interrogation procedures, the delegation said that there was no tape-recording or video reproduction during interrogation of suspects, arrested or accused persons. However, the accused had the right to remain silent and to be interrogated only in the presence of legal counsel.

The office of the "citizens' advocate" had dealt with about 20,000 complaints during the last 3 years, contrary to the figure provided yesterday, the delegation said. About 15 to 20 per cent of the complaints concerned alleged ill-treatment by police. The members of the office carried out visits to some police stations where detainees were kept in bad conditions.

Compensation was awarded to victims of ill-treatment or torture by the State in accordance with the exigencies of article 14 of the Convention which affirmed that the victim of an act of torture should obtain redress and had an enforceable right to fair and adequate compensation, said the delegation.

Persons resisting deportation were escorted to their countries by two policemen with essential cost, the delegation said. Such measures had been very expensive for the State and that was why there were still persons to be deported in the country.


The number of detainees in Greek prisons stood at 8,306 although the capacity of the institutions was 5,004 inmates, the delegation said. There were 42,000 policemen and 2,300 correctional officers and 1,600 external guards. In addition, in the juvenile prisons, there were at present 536 boys and 23 girls. In order to reduce overcrowding in prisons, suspension of penalties below 2 or 3 years for first offenders was envisaged as an alternative measure, among other things.

The problem of overcrowding was particularly felt at the detention centre of the Greater Athens Area where the majority of the detainees were transferred to from all over Greece in order to be expelled, the delegation said.

Most prison administrators were not happy to receive more prisoners because of overcrowding, an Expert said. The number of detainees in some prisons was many times their actual capacity. In addition, about 1,500 were detained in police stations, where the delegation had said that they were awaiting deportation. How many asylum-seekers were there in Greece? What was the fate of persons who asked for asylum and who justified their cases.

The delegation said that some individuals abused the right to seek asylum by providing unjustified reasons.

A Committee member said that yesterday, there had been unrest in the seventh floor detention facilities of the Attica General Police Directorate on Alexandria Avenue. About fifty foreign detainees, mainly from Bangladesh and Pakistan, had rebelled and banged on doors and windows. The foreigners had been protesting their detention for two months with deportation procedures not yet initiated.




* *** *