ECHR finds Greece violated rights over prison conditions

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Greece violated the European Convention on Human Rights over inadequate living space for detainees at prisons in Patra and Avlona.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found Greece in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights over detention conditions at the Patra and Avlona prisons.

In two separate judgments published on August 27, the court found that the personal space available to some detainees fell below 3 square meters per person, a level considered insufficient under the court's assessment of detention conditions.

At Patra Prison, the personal space available to detainees was reported at 2.81 square meters in some dormitories and 2.87 square meters in certain cells.

The ECHR also found that some detainees at Avlona Juvenile and Young Offenders Prison were held in areas providing less than 3 square meters per person. According to the judgments, the Greek government failed to provide sufficient concrete evidence to demonstrate otherwise.

ECHR finds insufficient space was not exceptional
The court determined that the lack of adequate personal space could not be considered either short-term or exceptional in the cases examined.

The ECHR consequently found a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.

The applicants covered by the judgments were also awarded compensation for non-pecuniary damage.

The rulings add to the European human rights court's scrutiny of prison conditions and overcrowding, particularly where inadequate personal space reaches levels capable of constituting degrading treatment.