The trial of two Pakistanis on charges of inciting the murder of anti-Islam far-right leader Geert Wilders opened on Monday, September 2, in the Netherlands, before a high-security court, in the absence of the accused. One of them is Muhammed Ashraf Jalali, a 56-year-old religious leader who allegedly called for the murder of Geert Wilders, saying that his followers would be “rewarded in the afterlife”.
The second man, Saad Hussain Rizvi, 29, leader of Pakistan’s far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), is accused of urging his supporters to kill Geert Wilders after the conviction of a former Pakistani cricketer, Khalid Latif, for inciting the murder of Geert Wilders. “This was done both in meetings and on social media through videos and text messages.”according to the Dutch public prosecutor’s office.
The trial is taking place in a high-security courthouse near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Dutch authorities have asked Islamabad for legal assistance to question the suspects and serve them with summonses.
However, there is no mutual legal assistance treaty with Pakistan and it seems unlikely that the two men will ever appear in the dock. “This case has had a huge impact on me and my family”Geert Wilders said at the hearing on Monday. “I ask this court to send a strong signal”according to which “It is unacceptable to issue a fatwa in this country”he added.
Under police protection for 20 years
In September 2023, Khalid Latif was sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia for calling for the murder of Geert Wilders, who wanted to organize a competition to draw caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. He eventually called it off after angry protests in the Muslim world, particularly in Pakistan, and numerous threats against him. Geert Wilders, known for his inflammatory remarks about Islam, has been living under police protection since 2004.
Announcement of the competition project “has caused a lot of trouble within the Muslim community”said the judge on Monday, who asked not to be identified, adding that Geert Wilders had “received hundreds, if not thousands, of death threats”. Already in 2019, a Dutch court sentenced another Pakistani to 10 years in prison for preparing a “terrorist attack” against Geert Wilders following the competition project.
Geert Wilders told the court that he wanted to organise the competition because he “it is unacceptable that freedom of expression is not respected (…) in countries where it is permitted by law”. “For 20 years, I have been deprived of my freedom because of what I think, say, write and do”the political leader said. “Fatwas are the worst. They never go away. I still get death threats every day.”he added.
The prosecution has requested a 14-year prison sentence for Muhammed Ashraf Jalali. The hearing against Saad Hussain Rizvi was scheduled to begin later Monday and the verdict is expected on September 9. “The aim of the suspect[Muhammed Ashraf Jalali]was to kill Wilders. He had great influence in Pakistan”said the prosecutor, who asked to remain anonymous. “Unfortunately, we see that politicians are increasingly under threat because of what they say and think.”he continued.
