Council of Europe committee deplores Greek prison conditions

Far too many prisoners in Greece “continue to be held in conditions which represent an affront to their human dignity,” according to a report published Friday by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) after visiting prison facilities in the country at the end of 2021. 

The main goal of the visit was to examine the treatment of prisoners and review the progress made by the authorities in implementing its recommendations over the past 10 years regarding overcrowding, poor detention conditions, prisoner violence, severe understaffing, and inadequate healthcare provision. 

“The systemic deficiencies as regards prisons outlined in the CPT’s 2015 and 2019 visit reports remain,” it said.

The report describes the findings from visits to Korydallos Prison, the largest in the country, Nigrita Prison and prisons on Chios, Corfu and Kos.