Documenting the Undocumented: Violence in Immigration Detention in Greece

• In Event: Violence and Immigration Detention: Comparative Perspectives from Greece, the UK, and the US

Abstract

This presentation explores the pervasive violence in immigration detention facilities in Greece, a system marked by structural and everyday violence against detainees. Drawing on over a decade of qualitative research and collaboration with civil society organizations, this study examines how violence is normalized, silenced, and obscured within Greek detention centers. Utilizing testimonies, monitoring data, and a newly developed database of human rights violations, the presentation highlights how violence manifests physically, psychologically, and systemically. Through this work, I argue that the violence in immigration detention is not incidental but integral to the broader regime of border control, shaped by geopolitical pressures and state imperatives. Testimonies from detainees, NGO practitioners, and staff reveal a system of impunity, where violence is both a tool of control and a silenced subject in public discourse and academic research. By situating these findings within the context of Greece and comparing them to broader patterns in detention systems globally, the study illuminates how violence is both localized and transnational in character. This presentation contributes to critical debates on the ethics and methodologies of researching violence, emphasizing the importance of documentation, advocacy, and disrupting the normalization of harm.

Author

• Andriani Fili, University of Oxford Centre for Criminology, England