M.S.S. v. BELGIUM AND GREECE JUDGMENT 42 THE LAW 204. In the circumstances of the case, the Court finds it appropriate to proceed by first examining the applicant’s complaints against Greece and then his complaints against Belgium. I. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 3 OF THE CONVENTION BY GREECE BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE APPLICANT’S DETENTION 205. The applicant alleged that the conditions of his detention at Athens International Airport amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment within the meaning of Article 3 of the Convention, which reads: Article 3 “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” A. The parties’ submissions 1. The applicant 206. The applicant complained about both periods of detention – the first from 15 to 18 June 2009, following his arrival at Athens International Airport, and the second from 1 to 7 August 2009, following his arrest at the airport. He submitted that the conditions of detention at the centre next to Athens International Airport were so appalling that they had amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. The applicant described his conditions of detention as follows: he had been locked in a small room with twenty other people, had had access to the toilets only at the discretion of the guards, had not been allowed out into the open air, had been given very little to eat and had had to sleep on a dirty mattress or on the bare floor. He further complained that during his second period of detention he had been beaten by the guards. 2. The Greek Government 207. The Greek Government disputed that the applicant’s rights under Article 3 had been violated during his detention. The applicant had adduced no evidence that he had suffered inhuman or degrading treatment. 208. In contrast with the description given by the applicant, the Government described the holding centre as a suitably equipped short-stay