By Chantalé Fletcher
CANADIAN social media vlogger Christopher “Chris Must List” Hughes is set to leave Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.
Hughes was charged under the Sedition Act of Trinidad and Tobago, publishing seditious material on Youtube posted on May 9.
And was formally charged on May 29 but pleaded not guilty to the offence on June 6.
However, Hughes must return to T&T to face the court for case management on August 23. If he is found to be guilty, the vlogger who is out on $100,000 bail will face a $3,000 fine or two years imprisonment.
On June 13, Hughes appeared before Master Margaret Sookraj-Goswami and the court ruled that his passport be returned to him.
He was represented by attorneys Pamela Elder, SC, Anand Ramlogan, SC, Russell Warner and Williams.
Hughes caught the attention of the Ministry of National Security with his interviews with a number of gangs since he arrived in Trinidad.
Some of his videos on YouTube, which had more than 100,000 views, showed men, alleged to be gang members with guns saying that they were being treated badly by the government and not being given opportunities like jobs.
Hughes’s arrest has since sparked attention from citizens as well as the international community, bloggers such as David Hoofman, who advocated with his followers for his safe release.
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The vlogger also attended the World of Reggae Concert on June 8. On his Youtube page, he described his experience as a “scene straight out of a dream.”
Hughes said, “They brought me out on stage before tens of thousands of people! The energy and support were unreal, and being part of that massive crowd is something that you never forget.”
