Pakistani cricketer on trial over Geert Wilders threats
August 29, 2023
A Dutch court tried a former cricketer on the Pakistani national team on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to incite the murder of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders.
Dutch public prosecutors said cricketer Khalid Latif called for Wilders to be killed in a video posted to social media in 2018 and offered a bounty of €21,000 ($23,000).
The incident occurred after Wilders had announced his plan to hold a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Such images are forbidden in Islam as a form of idolatry, and most Muslims regard caricatures as deeply offensive.
Wilders cancelled the event after receiving numerous death threats and triggering protests, particularly in Pakistan.
"Not only was his goal to end a human life with violence, but with his appeal he tried to silence a Dutch representative," Wilders told the court on Tuesday.
Cricketer tried in absentia
Prosecutors have demanded a 12-year sentence for Latif if he is convicted.
"Calling for a murder to prevent the cartoon competition and offering a sum of money to kill the organizer of that competition should be very severely punished," the prosecutor said.
Neither Latif nor a representative for him were present in the courtroom. The cricketer remains in Pakistan.
The Netherlands has no treaty with Pakistan for extraditions or legal assistance.
The verdict is due to be handed down on September 11.
Who is Khalid Latif?
Latif showed early promise as a cricketer and went on to play for the Pakistani national team for eight years.
However, he received a five-year ban from cricket in 2017 for spot-fixing in a Pakistan Super League match in Dubai.
Latif completed his ban last year and has since lived a relatively low-profile life in Karachi, coaching at club level.
zc/lo (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)