Former cricketer, Khalid Latif, faced trial on Tuesday in the Netherlands over accusations of inciting the murder of Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, a vocal critic of Islam.
Prosecutors are seeking a 12-year sentence for Latif if convicted, while they allege that in an online video from 2018, Latif offered €21,000 ($23,000) for the killing of Wilders.
Wilders, a far-right politician, planned a Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) caricature competition, however, it was later canceled due to protests and rising death threats.
Prosecutor FA Kuipers argued in court that the intentions of Latif were not only to incite violence resulting in loss of life but also to suppress a Dutch representative.
She highlighted the seriousness of the offense, asserting that calling for murder and offering a monetary reward for killing the organizer of the competition merits punishment.
Latif, nor any legal representation, was present during the hearing, and the Pakistani embassy in the Hague refrained from commenting immediately after the session.
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Kuipers noted the unsuccessful attempts of the prosecution to contact Latif, seeking legal aid from Islamabad due to the absence of a treaty between the Netherlands and Pakistan.
Under state protection since 2004 for his controversial remarks on Islam, Wilders said threats increased after he suggested the controversial cartoon competition.
Wilders stated that differing contest views do not excuse putting a bounty on life, and he directly told the former cricketer that advocating murder would not silence him.
Source: ProPakistani