Dutch Seek Prison for Pakistanis Who Called for Death of Wilders

(Bloomberg) — Dutch prosecutors called for significant prison sentences for two Pakistani nationals — a religious leader and a politician — for urging their followers to murder far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders.
The government sought a 14-year prison term for the religious leader and a six-year term for the politician, neither of whom are in Dutch custody. The religious leader, who Wilders named as Muhammad Ashraf Asif Jalali, had said he wishes Wilders “to be hanged someday” and issued an Islamic religious ruling to murder him, the prosecution said in a statement on Monday. 
Neither of the suspects, nor any lawyers representing them, appeared at the trial. The Dutch court is due to give its verdict on Sept. 9. 
Wilders, a controversial Dutch politician known for his anti-Islamic ideology, has lived under police protection since 2004 due to death threats. His party won the most seats in the election last November, but he was forced to abandon his bid to become prime minister in order to form a right-leaning government. 
The fatwas or religious rulings “keep their legality until they are successfully executed. It is therefore a threat against the victim that keeps its effect indefinitely,” the prosecution said. Wilders named the second man as Saad Hussain Rizvi, who leads an extremist Pakistani party.
Wilders told the court that he had lived in safe houses, prisons, barracks and police stations over the years and had worn fake mustaches and wigs to be unrecognizable. 
“I will never get back 20 years of lost freedom. I will probably never get my freedom back at all,” he said on Monday. 
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.