Mr Papagiannopoulos also appears to have made the racist suggestion that if immigrants are allowed to move freely they will ‘steal and rob.’
The man in the recording, alleged to be the police chief is heard saying,“If they told me I could go to a country …, and would be detained for three months and then would be free to steal and rob, to do whatever you want… that is great.”
“We aimed for increased periods of detention ….we increased it to eighteen months…for what purpose? We must make their life unbearable…that is so the other guy knows that if he comes here he’ll be kept inside. Otherwise we won’t be doing anything. We will be the most attractive destination for immigrants.”
According to Hot Doc (link in Greek), other officers present in the meeting described the comments as unlawful and racist.
Amnesty International issued a harsh criticism of the comments and called on the Greek police to immediately investigate the remarks, posting on its website:
“If accurate, the deeply shocking statements attributed today to the Greek Chief of Police would expose a wilful disregard for the rights and welfare of refugees and migrants seeking shelter and opportunity in the European Union,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia.
“The Greek authorities must establish whether these remarks were made and take appropriate action to ensure that Greek law enforcement officials uphold the law and protect the rights migrants.”
“In a context where the Greek police has come under increasing scrutiny for alleged ties to the far right party Golden Dawn, these reported remarks from Greece’s most senior law enforcement official cannot be swept under carpet. Confidence in the integrity of the Greek police requires a thorough and independent investigation into the authenticity of these remarks.”
Over the course of the past year, Amnesty International and other non-governmental organizations have documented numerous cases of ill-treatment and illegal push-backs of refugees and migrants at the Greek-Turkey border. Amnesty International has also documented appalling conditions of detention in centres for irregular migrants and asylum-seekers.
Amnesty also notes that according to EU law irregular immigrants can be detained for up to 18 months but only if deportation remains a realistic prospect and if after an individual assessment less restrictive measures are deemed inappropriate.
The Greek police have yet to respond to the allegations. If they are true however it would imply that the excessive detention of immigrants is a policy supported at the highest levels within the police force.