Prosecutors in the Netherlands told judges on Tuesday that they sought a 12-year prison sentence for former Pakistan national team cricketer Khalif Latif for threatening to murder Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders.37-year-old Latif, who is living in Pakistan and is currently being tried in absentia, faces charges of incitement to murder, incitement to criminal acts, and threatening violence against Wilders.Prosecutors assert that in 2018, Latif posted a video offering a reward of 3 million Pakistani rupees (about €21,000) for the assassination of Geert Wilders. This video came as a response to Wilders announcement of plans to hold a cartoon contest featuring depictions of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad, a move that sparked significant controversy and was later cancelled.“Latif tried to move others to murder Wilders and to avenge the cartoon contest,” Dutch public prosecutor FA Kuipers told the judges in a high-security courthouse near Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.“Not only was his goal to end a human life with violence, but with his appeal he tried to silence a Dutch representative. Calling for a murder to prevent the cartoon competition and offering a sum of money to kill the organiser of that competition, should be very severely punished as far as the public prosecution is concerned,” Kuipers added.Depictions of the Prophet Mohammad are considered forbidden in Islam as they are seen as a form of idolatry. Caricatures, including those featuring the Prophet, are widely regarded as deeply offensive by the Muslim community.Khalid Latif, who captained the Pakistan cricket team in the 2010 Asian Games, was previously banned from cricket for five years in 2017 due to his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal. His last appearance for the Shaheens came against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi in September 2016.Who is Dutch leader Geert Wilders, threatened by Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif59-year-old Geert Wilders, a prominent figure in Europes far-right movement, has played a central role in shaping the immigration discourse in the Netherlands over the past decade. Although never part of the government, his Freedom Party (PVV) is the third-largest party in the Dutch parliament and serves as the primary opposition party. Wilders has lived under continuous police protection since 2004, partly because of his inflammatory statements.SPEECH IN COURT TODAY DURING TRIAL AGAINST PAKISTANI KHALID LATIF, WHO WANTED ME TO BE SLAUGHTEREDhttps://t.co/OuCFrJPUDO— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) August 29, 2023In his victim statement presented in court, Geert Wilders directly addressed Khalid Latif, expressing his unwavering determination not to be silenced by threats.“Whatever you find of the cartoon competition, there is no reason to put a price of death on somebodys head for it,” Wilders said, before proclaiming, “Your call to kill me and offer a reward is despicable and will not silence me.”Notably, there are no existing treaties between the Netherlands and Pakistan regarding judicial cooperation or extradition. Previous requests for cooperation in this case went unanswered, as confirmed by the prosecution.The high-security court at Schiphol is set to issue its verdict on the matter on September 11.
