A cricketer from Pakistan who used to play for the national team has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in the Netherlands. He threatened a politician named Geert Wilders, who is known for his far-right views.
This situation involved a video that was shared on the internet in 2018. In the video, Khalid Latif offered a large sum of money, 21,000 euros or £18,000, to anyone who would harm or cause the death of a politician.
That happened when Mr. Wilders said things about the Prophet Muhammad that upset Muslims.
It is not expected that Latif will spend any time in prison.
He currently stays in Pakistan, and Pakistan has no agreement with the Netherlands to send him back.
The Dutch government has been trying to talk to Latif for many years, but Pakistan has not given them any assistance.
On Monday, the court decided that it wasn’t far-fetched to believe that someone from anywhere in the world would have listened to the call to harm Mr.
The top judge, G Verbeek, stated that his remarks were not only criticizing Mr. Wilders personally, but also criticizing the freedom to speak freely.
Latif did not make a comment right away after the decision.
He put the video on the internet in 2018 when Mr. Wilder said he would have a contest for drawings of Muhammad.
In Islam, it is not allowed to have pictures of the Prophet because it is seen as worshiping idols. Caricatures of the Prophet are especially disrespectful.
Mr Wilders, who is famous for speaking against Islam, changed his stance when there were big protests in Pakistan and he got many death threats.
The 60-year-old person is used to being involved in actions or statements that cause disagreement or argument. In 2020, he was found not guilty of causing hate and unfair treatment but was found guilty of insulting a specific racial group.
Mr Wilders was found guilty of similar accusations in 2016.
In a message on X (formerly Twitter) after the court’s decision on Monday, he asked Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the country’s justice minister to push the Pakistani authorities strongly to arrest and send Latif back to the Netherlands.
The old cricket player has not played the game since 2017 because he was punished with a five-year ban for being involved in an illegal betting scheme.