The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), on Friday ruled in favor of Shanique Myrie stating that the Barbados government did breach her right of entry as a CARICOM national at the Grantley Adams International airport in March 2011.
The court also ordered the Barbados Government to pay Myrie just over BD$75 thousand (J$3.6 million) in damages.
The judgment was delivered by video conference from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - the headquarters of the CCJ.
Myrie said she was elated at the ruling.
“I am very excited, I am very excited and very proud of myself”
Her attorney, Michelle Brown said ruling sets a precedent for the treatment of CARICOM nationals by immigration officials across the region.
“The court has ruled that her right of entry was breached and they have set out certain guidelines as to Jamaican nationals and how CARICOM nationals moving throughout the region should be treated by immigration authorities. The Court has also ruled that actions of immigration officers are actions that fall without the courts preview for judicial review. So we are very very happy with the verdict that the court has issued today” Brown said.
Myrie filed a claim against the Barbados Government, for damages stemming from an incident at the Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados after she arrived from Jamaica.
She claimed she was subjected to degrading and abusive treatment by immigration authorities in 2011, and sexually assaulted before being returned to Jamaica.
The case generated public debate about deep rooted prejudices within the region, the effectiveness of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, and the right of countries to protect their borders.
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