Ex-Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif gets 12 years for inciting murder of Islamophobic Dutch politician

Former Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Dutch court on Monday (September 11) for inciting murder of far-right politician Geert Wilders. Latif was being tried in absentia in the Netherlands.

Last month, prosecutors informed judges that they were requesting a 12-year sentence for a former cricketer from Pakistan who was on trial in absentia for inciting people to kill Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders in 2018.

The suspect, 37-year-old former cricketer Khalid Latif, resides in Pakistan. He is accused of inciting murder, inciting criminal behaviour, and threatening to harm Wilders.

According to the prosecution, Latif published a video in 2018 proposing a reward for the assassination of Wilders worth around 21,000 euros at the time.
Wilders released the video in which he declared his intention to conduct a cartoon competition featuring caricatures of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). However, the contest was cancelled.

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Caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are incredibly offensive to all Muslims.

Latif was directly addressed by Wilders in his victim statement, in which he declared that he would not be intimidated.

“Your call to kill me and offer a reward is despicable and will not silence me,” he declared in court.

According to the South China Morning Post, it is extremely unlikely that Latif will serve his sentence. “Dutch authorities have sought in vain to question Latif over the case and requested legal help from Pakistan, also to no avail.”