Two Pakistanis charged over calls for Dutch far-right leader's killing

FILE PHOTO: Case against a Pakistani man on charges of incitement to murder Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, in Badhoevedorp

FILE PHOTO: Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders attends a court hearing where a case against a 37-year-old Pakistani man on charges of incitement to murder Wilders is due to start, in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

A Dutch court said it had charged two Pakistani nationals on Wednesday over public calls for the murder of far-right anti-Muslim leader Geert Wilders, who aims to lead a new government after his party won elections in November.

In a statement on Wednesday, the court said prosecutors had asked authorities in Pakistan to extradite the two suspects - aged 55 and 29 - to stand trial in the Netherlands.

It said the two Pakistanis were suspected of publicly calling on people to kill Wilders and promising them a reward in the afterlife if they did so. It did not say how those calls were made.

In September, a Dutch court sentenced a Pakistani former cricketer to 12 years in prison after he was tried in absentia for publicly urging people to kill Wilders.

"I hope they (two suspects) will be extradited, convicted and jailed!" Wilders wrote in a post on X.

The court scheduled its first hearing on the case for Sept. 2. The Netherlands and Pakistan do not have an extradition treaty, leaving prospects for a trial unclear.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters