Turin's CIE - International University College of Turin

themselves. There is one basin and one telephone that works with international cards and
this is something they very often ask us [religious personnel] to buy for them. Sometimes
the telephone is working, sometimes it isn’t” (Interview 2).
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Concerning the space, detainees agreed on the same: “We are seven people in my room. We live in
something like ten square meters. It’s like living inside a big cage” (Interview 21). Moreover,
detainees complained about windows being closed constantly and the absence of air
conditioning: “We are seven people in one room, with one toilet and no windows. There is no air
conditioning. There’s a smell from the toilet so we always keep the door of our room open. We also
sleep in the night leaving the door open, but the smell is always there. I don’t blame anybody in
particular in my room for this, it is normal when you have seven people all together in such a small
space” (Interview 18). Shortly after this interview, in the summer of 2012 we received accounts
from detainees who were suffering from the heat of an Italian summer inside CIE. The detainees
reported that they had begun sleeping outside in the courtyard on mattresses, despite the fact
that it was extremely uncomfortable due to large numbers of mosquitos.
Furthermore, there is no appropriate place for religious activities such as speaking
confidentially with a priest: “We have organised it [a religious space] by ourselves. We have
created a place to pray inside the refectory. However, you know how it is, with people talking on
the telephone, nearby people smoking, it isn’t good” (Interview 20).
However, the situation might be worse in other Italian CIEs: “Turin’s CIE is better than other CIEs
in Italy. At least there is an outdoor space: you can go out from your room, breathe some fresh air,
look at the sky. In other CIEs there is not even this possibility” (Interview 28).
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Unknown author, “Piantina CIE Torino 2.0”, Indymedia (online), 21 June 2011
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