Fair Trials is the global criminal justice watchdog, campaigning for fairness, equality and justice

On this European Mental Health Week, we join the growing global call to end the use of solitary confinement. In this article, we highlight its devastating impact on mental health and human dignity, and we stand alongside other organizations demanding the elimination of this harmful practice. To mark this occasion, we offer a legal and neuroscientific overview of the standards, risks, and human rights concerns associated with solitary confinement.

It was a warm day at a metro station in Hamburg. I had just dropped my fiancé off on her way to the airport, still overwhelmed with joy from reuniting with my mother after ten long years. I had been forced to leave my family in Syria as a teenager, and the thought of finally being together with her again felt surreal. On my way back to my relative’s house, I received an unexpected email from the Greek Asylum Service that shattered the brief moment of normalcy. It felt strange. It was August, typically a holiday break for institutions, and even more unusual was the fact that the Greek Asylum Service initiates communications with individuals.