A migrant camp championed by Greece's conservative government as a “model” for Europe has been rocked by repeated protests, with asylum seekers describing conditions so desperate that some say they are contemplating suicide.
At the EU-funded Sintiki camp near Greece's border with Bulgaria, police have repeatedly clashed with incarcerated migrants trying to break out after months in detention.
In an open letter last month, some of the nearly 400 Egyptian and Bangladeshi migrants held there said they were exhausted, barely getting enough to eat, and forced to share four bathrooms.
"Many of us are contemplating suicide... we are crushed, physically, psychologically and ethically... please save us," they wrote.
AFP was unable to get access to the occupants of Sintiki.
'Time bombs'
For people from Bangladesh, the rate of acceptance for asylum applications is less than one percent, according to Greek migration ministry figures. The same goes for applications from Egypt and Pakistan.
Under the terms of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which came into force in June, people applying for refugee status are detained until their case has been examined. If their bid is rejected, they remain imprisoned until being sent back.
The migrants also asked for permission to work so they could support their families back home. "We have been jailed for over 12 months... people here are like time bombs," the letter read.
The unrest has taken a visible toll on the facility, with the camp now looking "bombarded", a senior police officer told AFP.
"Three of the four sectors of the facility were destroyed during the unrest", said Giannis Kounios, head of the police union in the Serres region. Damage to housing units has left many without shelter.
Community chief Spyros Leonidas of nearby village Promachonas said the location was not even fit for a camp.
"It's inside a ravine. In winter, the temperature reaches -10°C and 45°C in summer. A person cannot survive there, especially locked up for so many months," he said.
More than 50 migrants were arrested after two recent uprisings and later sent to prison.
Lawyer Iraklis Pekiaridis, who represented migrants arrested following unrest in November, said some "preferred to go to prison rather than return to this camp".
Activists who have visited the site have described conditions as "wretched".
Despite the criticism, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris has described Sintiki as a model for curbing migration. The former hard-right lawmaker has suggested the camp's harsh conditions are meant to deter future arrivals.
