A high-profile legal case involving Canadian travel content creator Christopher “Chris Must List” Hughes has taken a new turn in Trinidad and Tobago, as a senior magistrate has pushed back against a defense request to delay the creator’s upcoming sedition trial until the country’s ongoing state of emergency (SoE) expires. Hughes, who was hit with sedition charges in May 2024 over allegations he promoted gang culture — claims he has vehemently denied — faces a maximum penalty of two years behind bars and a fine if convicted.\n\nAppearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Brian Debideen on behalf of his client, defense attorney Criston J Williams argued that ordering Hughes to return to Trinidad and Tobago for trial during the current SoE exposes him to severe, unnecessary legal risk. Williams told the court that under the emergency regulations in place, his client could be slapped with a three-month preventive detention order (PDO) immediately upon landing, with no trial required to hold him. The attorney emphasized that this threat is not speculative: it is rooted in both the existing state of emergency framework and formal correspondence from Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Homeland Security that outlined strict movement restrictions for Hughes.\n\n“The current security climate makes this far too dangerous for my client to return,” Williams told the court. “I have a serious, genuine fear that he will be served a PDO the moment he steps off the plane. I cannot in good conscience take that risk.” He added that the defense intends to call Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander as a witness if the trial moves forward, and repeated his request to adjourn proceedings until the emergency regulations lapse on September 17.\n\nWhile the SoE is currently set to end next month, Trinidad and Tobago’s constitution does allow for a three-month extension if a special three-fifths majority vote passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This possibility of extended emergency powers has only deepened the defense’s concerns. Local data shows authorities have already issued more than 400 PDOs across the country in 2024, underscoring how widely the emergency detention power is being used.\n\nMagistrate Debideen, however, rejected the defense’s arguments, suggesting the request for delay is an unnecessary tactic to prolong the case. He pointed out that Hughes’ legal team has not yet submitted a formal request to Minister Alexander for the immigration exemption Hughes would need to re-enter the country, after he was previously barred from returning. “You are complicating a very simple issue,” Debideen told Williams. “It is clear you and your client do not want this matter to go to trial — you are just dragging this out.”\n\nWilliams pushed back against the accusation, insisting the only goal of the application is to protect Hughes’ personal safety and legal rights while the state of emergency remains in effect. The case also brought an additional rebuke from the bench, after Debideen reviewed a social media video Hughes posted online following the last court hearing. The magistrate issued a stern warning that criminal defendants cannot publicly discuss active court proceedings or offer their own interpretations of the case.\n\n“I am not going to tolerate that kind of behavior,” Debideen said. “This case will be resolved based on law and evidence, not public commentary.” Williams apologized to the court on Hughes’ behalf and gave a formal assurance that there would be no further public statements about the case from the defendant while it remains pending.\n\nWith the future of Hughes’ appearance in court still uncertain, Debideen has ordered the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to review the country’s Criminal Procedure Rules and outline what legal options are available if Hughes fails to appear for trial. State attorney Stacey Laloo-Chong told the court she would consult with Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, before the next hearing scheduled for July 28. The original trial start date was set for July 22.