Two Pakistanis on trial in Amsterdam for incitement

Two Pakistani men stood trial in absentia at a high-security court in the Netherlands on Monday over alleged attempts to incite the murder of far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders, following the conviction of a Pakistani cricketer for incitement to murder.

The trial took place at a highly secure courthouse near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Prosecutors had charged 56-year-old religious leader Muhammed Ashraf Jalali and Saad Hussain Rizvi, a leader of a Pakistani religious party, for calling on his followers to kill Wilders.

Dutch authorities asked Islamabad for legal assistance to question the suspects and demand they appear in court. However, no treaty exists with Pakistan for mutual legal assistance and the two men did not appear in the dock. Neither man had legal representation present.

In September last year, a judge sentenced Latif to 12 years behind bars for incitement to murder Wilders after the lawmaker had sought to arrange a competition for blasphemous cartoons. Wilders cancelled the contest after protests broke out in Pakistan and he was inundated with death threats.

He has been under 24-hour state protection since 2004. Wilders said in court: "For the past 20 years, I have been robbed of my freedom because of what I think, say, write and do. Fatwas … never go away. I still receive death threats on a daily basis," the politician added.

The public prosecutor called for Jalali to receive 14 years in prison. Six years were requested against Rizvi with a verdict expected on September 9.

"The aim of the suspect (Jalali) was to kill Wilders. He (Jalali) had great influence in Pakistan," alleged the prosecutor, who asked to remain anonymous.