A Restaurateur who was recently detained in a migrant centre in Cyprus awaiting deportation was released following a wave of support from members of the public and organizations demanding that she be set free.
Katina Baird, 32 came to Cyprus from Guyana, several years ago where she set up a restaurant with her British husband before the pair went their separate ways. Under EU regulations, individuals must remain married for three years to maintain residency as a family member of an EU citizen.
However, Baird was married for two years and 11 months before divorcing due to domestic violence, for which a police complaint was filed. This circumstance exempts her from the three-year requirement, her lawyer Elias Christou argued.
“She went to the Immigration Department to submit her documents as a divorced person and requested status to continue working in Cyprus. They refused, so we submitted both a hierarchical appeal to the minister and an administrative appeal to the court, asking for the decision to be declared null and abusive against her,” Christou said.
The legal proceedings are scheduled for October, making her arrest unlawful, the lawyer argued.
The case was brought to light by Cyprus Mail last Saturday, featuring statements from the arrested woman who alleged that “they denied me the right to speak or present related documents. They treated me as if I have no legal standing or identity”.
Following publication of the arrest, reactions emerged in Larnaca and local authorities were informed, as Baird is particularly well-regarded in the city.
“She is a woman who worked hard. She ended up in Menogia because she divorced from a husband who abused her. She had social insurance and paid all her taxes. She is a law-abiding citizen and a woman who contributed to Larnaca. She participated in municipal events, contributing to Larnaca’s community. That’s how people got to know and love her,” the lawyer told philenews, indicating that an application for international protection will also be submitted as she cannot return to her home country.
Speaking from the South American country where Baird spent most of her life a person who has been following the case who does not want to be named said: ” This poor woman has been through a lot. She went over there with very good intentions which was to contribute to the new country she settled in. They should not be treating her like this. She should be supported and embraced. She has a lot to offer and this is not the way to be treating someone like her. She only has good to offer Cyprus and they should welcome it with open arms.”