tidings
Already Loutoo
Canadian YouTuber accused of sedition, Christopher Arthur Hughes, who posts under the name “Chris Must List”, has been allowed to return home until his next court appearance in August.
On June 21, Judge Indrani Cedeno granted Hughes permission to travel and ordered the return of his passport, which will have to be returned to the High Court registry on August 22, the day before he reappears before Acting Chief Magistrate Christine Charles.
On June 13, Hughes said he had hoped to return home after his court appearance that day. At the time, he posted on Instagram that he appeared to be “stuck” in Trinidad until August.
On June 21, he posted a photo with a thumbs up sign that read: “I’m going to get my passport. I’m coming.”
Newsday was told that once initial bail orders were made by the High Court, under the Administration of Justice (Indigent Proceedings) Act, a judge could not intervene, so any changes had to be applied to the High Court. High.
That application was made by Hughes’ lawyers on June 17.
His sedition case before the Acting Chief Magistrate will come up for a case management hearing on August 23.
Hughes made his first appearance before her on 13 June.
On June 6, Master Margaret Sookraj-Goswami transferred the case to the Port of Spain District Court after the state chose to run the case summarily (a summary judgment in the district court).
Hughes had agreed to the recommendation and the master allowed him to leave the site until a June 13 hearing, also removing the condition of weekly reporting to a police station that was attached to his $100,000 bond.
He was also ordered to surrender his civil status passport when he returns to appear before the acting Chief Magistrate.
At the time, Hughes said he intended to stay put and continue filming the culture of Trinidad and Tobago while he was still here.
In his latest hearing, Hughes, 45, pleaded not guilty to a charge of publishing a seditious publication (an audiovisual video) on the social media platform YouTube on May 9.
He is represented by senior advocates Pamela Elder, SC, Anand Ramlogan, SC and Russell Warner.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Danielle Thompson represents the state.
At the June 13 hearing, Elder asked if Hughes’ electronics, such as cameras and iPhones, could be returned to him. She said the police can keep the memory cards and return the cameras. Newsday understands he has not yet received those articles.
A trial date will likely be set at Hughes’ next court appearance.
The investigation began after Hughes posted videos from Trinidad and Tobago on his YouTube page, where he has 326,000 subscribers.
Police said in a statement that the videos showed “individuals claiming to be gang members, advocating criminal activity and using threatening language”.
The riot charge against Hughes carries a $3,000 fine or two years in prison for summary conviction.
