The arrest and detention of a foreign restaurant owner who has operated legally in central Larnaca for several years has prompted reactions in the city.
Katina Baird, a Guyanese national who owns Katina’s Tasty Food Caribbean restaurant, was arrested and transferred to Menogia detention centre despite paying social insurance contributions and all taxes, according to her lawyer Elias Christou.
Baird arrived legally in Cyprus several years ago with her British husband. Under EU regulations, individuals must remain married for three years to maintain residency as a family member of an EU citizen, Christou said.
However, Baird remained 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, the lawyer 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 noted.
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.
