Key facts
- Oxford University researchers found 112 deaths of foreign nationals in Greek police stations or migrant centers since 2000.
- Of the 112 deaths, 84 occurred in police stations without medical staff and 27 in migrant detention facilities.
- The research found 44 suicides among the 112 deaths in the 26-year period.
- The report's authors said 34 deaths documented by journalists, NGOs and monitors were not included in police statistics.
- The Greek government and the police ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
More than 100 foreign nationals have died since 2000 in Greek police stations or migrant centers with inadequate healthcare facilities, including 34 deaths that have not been officially registered, according to research published on Tuesday by Oxford University researchers.
In total, the research found 112 deaths in the 26-year period, including 44 suicides. Of the 112 deaths, 84 occurred in police stations without medical staff and 27 were reported in migrant detention facilities.
The Greek government and the police ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dataset, part of an ongoing project that monitors deaths of foreign nationals in detention, including those held on criminal grounds, draws on police statistics obtained through freedom of information requests, international monitoring reports, media and testimonies.
The findings reveal "gaps in official police records and serious barriers to healthcare, including in facilities receiving EU funding," the report's authors said in a statement. They said 34 deaths documented by journalists, NGOs and monitors were not included in the police statistics.
The data, published on research platform Detention Landscapes, reflects complaints by human rights groups and follows a 2026 report by the Council of Europe's anti-torture committee (CPT). The report said that deaths in police custody in Greece had increased and some could have been prevented with sufficient supervision, psychiatric care and healthcare.
Among the cases it examined was the death of a 37-year-old Pakistani migrant while in detention at an Athens police station.
The CPT also cited persistent overcrowding in prison cells, including five people in spaces meant for one, and detainees sleeping on concrete or bedbug-infested mattresses.