The open-source database exposing human rights violations in Greek detention facilities

An interdisciplinary team led by Dr Andriani Fili (Centre for Criminology) has developed and disseminated the first open-access online database on human rights violations in Greek detention centres. This archive of documentary evidence and first-hand testimonies from migrant detainees is now being expanded for use in other countries, including the UK.

Thousands of foreign nationals are detained in Greece each year, yet the Greek government produces very little information about its detention facilities or the people held within them. Detention Landscapes is an evidence-based platform created in partnership with Border Criminologies, Mobile Info Team and the Border Violence Monitoring Network which has so far gathered information on the location, function and ownership of 65 locations in Greece where migrants are detained. The platform hosts reports, research, photos, video evidence and testimonies from detainees – highlighting the horrific conditions under which they are often held.

'Information on immigration detention has been documented before, but we’re doing it very systematically, and engaging with people who have lived experience,' says Dr Fili. 'People have been shocked by the reality, they can’t believe this is being allowed. Actors in the field are finding it a very useful resource.'

Constantly updated by a team of international volunteers, Detention Landscapes acts as a research output and a living archive by making evidence freely available to journalists, lawyers, academics, policy makers and the public. It has already fed into the work of international human rights monitors and local civil society groups, and been cited in a successful legal appeal to secure the release of a vulnerable detainee. 

'This project isn't just about documenting abuses in detention, we want it to be a living archive which is used actively by researchers, activists, lawyers and others,' says Alice Troy-Donovan, Research Officer at Mobile Info Team, an NGO based in northern Greece. 'The aim is ultimately to strengthen existing work challenging Greece's extensive detention regime – whether in direct legal challenges to detention, advocacy or solidarity work.'

The model is now being streamlined so it can be used in other countries, including Turkey, Italy and the UK. The database is also in the process of being translated into Arabic and Farsi. 'We’re currently seeking more funding to work directly with affected communities too. We’re very keen to explore co-production with people who have lived experience,' says Dr Fili. 'It’s our hope that the information we provide will lead to more people caring about this issue, and that we can catalyse change.'

Dr Andriani Fili (Department of Law, University of Oxford), Border Criminologies, Mobile Info Team, and Border Violence Monitoring Network's were Highly Commended in the Developing Impact category of the 2025 Social Sciences Impact Awards for their work documenting human rights violations inside immigration detention settings.

Social Sciences Impact Awards 2025 (photo: John Cairns)