Khalid Latif sentenced to 12-year jail for inciting murder of Dutch politician

Former Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif has been sentenced to a 12-year prison term by a Dutch court for his alleged involvement in inciting violence against the Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders.
 
The sentence was issued in absentia, as Latif resides in Pakistan and did not participate in the trial held in the Netherlands. The court found Latif guilty of charges including incitement to murder, sedition, and making threats.

Prosecutors argued that in 2018, Latif posted a video in which he offered a reward of approximately 21,000 euros at the time for the assassination of Geert Wilders. 

This video surfaced after Wilders had planned to organize a contest featuring cartoons depicting the Muslim Prophet Mohammad, which was later canceled.

"The statements in the video contributed to hatred and threats against a Dutch parliamentarian and made it more difficult for a duly elected representative of the people to perform his essential task within the Netherlands, the court said.

"With this sentence, the court also aims to set an example. It must be clear not only to this suspect but also to others that such offenses can lead to very high sentences," the court further added.

It must be noted that the Netherlands doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Pakistan.