Former Pakistani international cricketer Khalid Latif, is on trial in absentia for inciting the murder of Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders. Dutch prosecutors are recommending a 12-year jail sentence. In 2018, Latif allegedly posted a video offering a 21,000 euros reward for Wilders’ assassination in response to Wilders’ intention to host a controversial cartoon contest featuring the Prophet Mohammad. Such depictions are seen as idolatrous and highly offensive in Islam.
Latif, banned from cricket in 2017 due to a spot-fixing scandal and a former captain for Pakistan, has not commented. Wilders, a significant far-right figure in Europe and leader of the Netherlands’ third-largest party has been under police protection since 2004. He declared in court that threats wouldn’t intimidate him.
Given the absence of extradition treaties between the Netherlands and Pakistan, the trial proceeds without Latif’s presence. A verdict is expected on September 11.
