Myrie files suit against Barbados officials

THE JAMAICAN woman who is accusing Barbadian officials of cruel and vulgar cavity search at the Grantley Adams International Airport on March 14 last year has filed a suit in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

The case, which is said to be the first of its kind before the CCJ, will be asking the court to determine a critical issue which will be used as a precedent.

Shanique Myrie, 22, who is being represented by the law firm HyltonBrown is asking the court, in the suit filed yesterday, to determine what is the minimum standard of treatment to be given to CARICOM nationals moving within the region under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and its goal of hassle-free travel.

Degrading treatment

Myrie is alleging that degrading treatment was meted out to her at the hands of Barbadian border officials at the airport.

The law firm had allowed sufficient time for both the Jamaican and the Barbadian governments to attempt to settle the issue. When a settlement was not reached, the firm obtained leave from the Jamaican Government to file the action. The firm, before filing the suit, had made attempts to engage the Barbadian government in discussions but to no avail.

Jamaican attorneys-at-law Anthony Hylton and Michelle Brown from the firm will be arguing the case for Myrie.

In a news release issued yesterday, the law firm disclosed that the case would set the precedent for how persons move throughout the region.