A Canadian YouTuber, Christopher Arthur Hughes, known for his "Chris Must List" channel, has been arraigned in Trinidad and Tobago on sedition charges and has been compelled to surrender his passport. Hughes, who has built a following of 326,000 subscribers by documenting his visits to perilous locations worldwide, found himself in hot water after interviewing Trinidadian gang members who voiced their dissent against the government.
Hughes was detained on Thursday following the release of videos where he spoke with gang members. Authorities charged him under the Sedition Act of Trinidad and Tobago. In a Monday court session in Port-of-Spain, the judge set Hughes's bail at TT$100,000 (£11,709).
The Canadian government and Hughes's attorney have yet to comment on the situation. The investigation commenced after Hughes uploaded the controversial videos, which prompted the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to issue a statement. They indicated that the videos included "individuals professing to be gang members, advocating criminal activities, and using threatening language." Reports from what appear to be a Trinidadian local news outlet states the charges:
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hughes's residence in west Trinidad, seizing several items, including cameras and a laptop. Hughes, who has portrayed himself as an adventurous content creator, has documented his visits to some of the world's most dangerous areas, including Haiti, Kenya, and various U.S. locations.
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Some of the contentious Trinidad videos (that have since been deleted from his YouTube channel, though some remain) showed Hughes in high-crime "hot spots" and featured interviews with local figures, including a popular entertainer, a senior police officer, and schoolchildren. Other clips depicted Hughes conversing with armed men brandishing weapons, such as in one Instagram video linked below, where a man shows off a handgun, saying, “Want to see toys? For real. We don’t play out here.”
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Prosecutors have the option to pursue a summary trial, which would be decided by a magistrate and could result in a fine of TT$3,000 or up to two years in prison for Hughes. Alternatively, if tried in the High Court, Hughes faces a stiffer penalty of up to TT$25,000 and five years in prison.
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, Hughes has previously encountered legal issues in Cuba and Somalia, where he was deported for operating a drone in Havana and for throwing money at impoverished people, respectively.
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The sedition charges have garnered attention, as the Sedition Act was recently upheld by the Privy Council in London, the highest appeal court for Trinidad and Tobago.
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free speech is dead.
ignorance is infinite.
This will always happen to stupid people with a big mouth and a cell phone camera and if you ask me it can’t happen often enough!!!