Dutch prosecutors have requested a 12-year prison term on Tuesday for aformer Pakistani cricketer who stands accused of incitement to commitmurder against the outspoken anti-Islam legislator, Geert Wilders. Theindividual in question, known as Khalid Latif and identified by Wilders,allegedly offered a reward of approximately 21,000 euros ($23,000) toanyone willing to assassinate Wilders. Despite the charges, Latif wasconspicuously absent from the trial held in a high-security courtroom nearAmsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. It is believed that he currently resides inPakistan.
Although the prosecution refrained from directly naming Latif, theirstatement indicated that a video, uploaded online in 2018, featured aprominent Pakistani cricket player offering a financial incentive for themurder of Wilders. The legislator has been under continuous protection dueto persistent threats on his life, a consequence of his vehement critiquesof Islam. The catalyst for the threats was Wilders’ announcement of anintention to host a competition featuring cartoons depicting the ProphetMuhammad. This announcement stirred strong objections in the Muslim world,as many view portrayals of the Prophet as blasphemous. Ultimately, theplanned cartoon contest was cancelled, but the controversy it generatedremained.
The Public Prosecution Service in The Hague highlighted the video’smalevolent impact, noting that it emerged during a period marked byheightened animosity and resentment towards Geert Wilders. The prosecutionoffice further emphasized that a potential attack on Wilders would not onlycause immense suffering to his loved ones but also constitute an assault onthe fundamental principles of the rule of law itself. The trial unfoldsagainst the backdrop of the ongoing tension between the right to freeexpression and the sensitivities surrounding religious beliefs, raisingsignificant questions about the delicate balance between these competingvalues
