00:00A trial that was expected to begin next week has instead become the latest courtroom boiling point over Trinidad and
00:07Tobago's state of emergency.
00:09Christopher Christmas list Hughes' attorneys are asking the court to put his sedition case on hold as they contend returning
00:18to TNT could result in him being detained under a preventive detention order.
00:23Hughes, a Canadian travel vlogger, was charged with sedition in May 2024 after authorities accused him of promoting gang culture.
00:32He has denied the charge and rejected a plea agreement.
00:36On Wednesday, his attorney Kristen J. Williams told Senior Magistrate Brian Debedin the current state of emergency creates too great
00:45a risk for his client to return for trial,
00:48saying, quote, I have a serious fear or concern that he gets a PDO for three months once he lands
00:54in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:56I'm dead serious. I can't risk it. I honestly can't risk it, end quote.
01:01Williams pointed to a letter from the Ministry of Homeland Security and warned that Hughes could be detained without trial
01:07upon arrival.
01:09He asked the court to postpone the matter until after the SOE ends, saying the request was not an attempt
01:15to delay the proceedings.
01:16He also revealed that if the matter proceeds to trial, he intends to call Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander
01:23as a witness.
01:25But Senior Magistrate Debedin was unconvinced he questioned whether Hughes' legal team was genuinely preparing for trial,
01:33noting they had not written to the minister seeking the immigration exemption required for Hughes to return legally to TNT.
01:41Williams rejected that suggestion.
01:43The issue of preventive detention orders has become under increased public scrutiny in recent weeks,
01:49following the detention of businessman Dominic Hadid and his wife Genevieve under the emergency regulations,
01:56with hundreds of PDOs being issued so far this year.
02:00With uncertainty over whether Hughes will return to face trial,
02:04the Senior Magistrate directed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine
02:09what legal options exist if the accused remains outside the jurisdiction.
02:15Earlier in the hearing, the Senior Magistrate also took issue with Hughes' social media activity.
02:21Debedin warned, quote,
02:32If convicted on sedition, Hughes faces a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment and a fine.
02:39Arvishit Wari, Rupnarain, TV6 News.
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