Former Pakistani Cricketer Sentenced to 12 Years for Inciting Violence Against Dutch Leader

Amsterdam: A Dutch court has sentenced a former Pakistani cricketer to 12 years in prison in absentia for inciting violence against Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders.

Khalid Latif, 37, was found guilty of incitement to murder, sedition, and threats. He did not attend the trial in the Netherlands and has not been detained there.

The court found that Latif posted a video in 2018 offering a 3 million rupee reward (approximately 21,000 euros at the time) for the assassination of Wilders. The video coincided with protests in Pakistan against Wilders, triggered by his announcement of a cartoon contest depicting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, which was later canceled.

The court emphasized the explicit nature of Latif’s words, stating that his promise to pay a substantial sum for a specific act, namely the killing of Wilders, could potentially incite someone, anywhere in the world, to take action.

Geert Wilders is a prominent far-right leader in Europe and has played a significant role in shaping the immigration debate in the Netherlands over the past two decades. His Freedom Party (PVV) is the third-largest party in the Dutch parliament, and he has lived under constant police protection since 2004.