A Dutch court docket on Monday sentenced a former Pakistani cricketer to 12 years in jail over allegations that he incited individuals to kill firebrand anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders.
Khalid Latif, 37, stood accused of providing a bounty of some 21,000 euros (USD 23,000) to anyone who killed Wilders. Latif didn’t seem within the high-security courtroom close to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport for the trial and he was not represented by a lawyer.
He’s believed to be in Pakistan, which has no extradition settlement with the Netherlands.
Throughout the trial, Latif was not recognized by identify, however prosecutors mentioned in an announcement {that a} video posted on-line in 2018 confirmed a well-known Pakistan cricketer providing the cash for killing Wilders. Wilders himself recognized the suspect as Latif.
“The court has now ruled that a long-term unconditional term of imprisonment is the only suitable punishment for these types of offenses,” an announcement mentioned.
Dutch lawmaker Wilders, who was current for the decision, has lived below round the clock safety for years due to repeated threats to his life sparked by his fierce criticism of Islam.
ALSO READ: Asia Cup 2023: Haris Rauf dominated out of India vs Pakistan conflict
The alleged bounty provide got here after Wilders mentioned he would manage a contest of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Many Muslims take into account any depictions of Muhammad to be blasphemous. Ultimately, the competition didn’t go forward, however the plan sparked outrage within the Muslim world.
An worldwide warrant has been issued for Latif’s arrest. Dutch prosecutors have mentioned that that they had been making an attempt to contact him since 2018, first as a witness after which to reply the costs. However, they mentioned they hadn’t acquired any reply from the Pakistani authorities.
In 2017, Latif, 37, was banned for 5 years from all types of cricket for his function in a match-fixing scandal within the Pakistan Super League.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
.jpg)
