Dutch court convicts two Pakistani 'political leaders' over calls to murder anti-Muslim leader Geert Wilders

A court in the Netherlands said on Monday (Sept 9) that it convicted two Pakistani "political leaders" over their calls to murderanti-Muslim lawmakerGeertWilders. A report by the news agency Reuters said that both men are thought to be abroad and are unlikely to serve their sentences.

In a statement, the District Court of the Hague said that a 56-year-old man, described as a political and religious leader from Pakistan,was sentenced to 14 years for attempted and actual incitement and threats to murder with terrorist intent.

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The second man, a 29-year-old who is also a political leader from Pakistan,was sentenced to four years for incitement and threats to murder, the court added.

Their conviction comes months after another court had said that the two men had been accused of publicly calling on people to killWildersand promising them a reward in the afterlife if they did so.

Neither of the defendants was in court to hear the verdict, Reuters reported. They are believed to be in Pakistan and are unlikely to be turned over as Pakistan has no extradition agreement with the Netherlands.

The controversies surrounding Wilders

Wilders, 61, is a leader of theFreedom Party(PVV) that won last year's general election in the Netherlands.Wilders has been in politics for 25 years and is a controversial figure.

For years, Wilders has lived under police protection due to the numerous death threats sparked by his remarks against Islam,a religion he calls backward.

He has called for the mosques and Quran to be banned in the Netherlands. Reuters reported that Wilders called Prophet Mohammad a "paedophile," Islam a "fascist ideology" and "backward religion."

His remarks have sometimes led to violent protests in nations with large Muslim populations, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt. In Pakistan, a religious leader issued a fatwa against him.

Former Pak cricketer urges people to kill Wilders

In September 2023,a Dutch court sentenced Pakistani former cricketer Khalid Latifto 12 years in prison after he was tried, also in absentia, for publicly urging people to killWilders.

Latif also did not appear for trial and is not in custody in the Netherlands.

In 2019, a Pakistani manarrested in the Netherlands was convicted and sentenced to 10 years for preparing a terrorist attack on Wilders.

(With inputs from agencies)