Two Pakistani men stood trial in absentia on Monday at a court in the Netherlands over alleged attempts to incite the murder of Dutch right-wing leader Geert Wilders, AFP reported.
Dutch prosecutors have charged 56-year-old religious leader Muhammed Ashraf Jalali for calling on his followers to kill Wilders and promising they would be "rewarded in the afterlife."
Another man, Saad Hussain Rizvi, leader of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, is suspected of urging followers to kill Wilders after Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif was sentenced for incitement to murder him.
"This case has had a huge impact on me and my family," Wilders told the court, adding, "I'm asking this court to send a strong signal... that calling a fatwa in this country is unacceptable."
The trial took place at a highly secure courthouse near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
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 and neither had legal representation present, according to AFP.
In September last year, judges sentenced Latif to 12 years behind bars for incitement to murder Wilders after he sought to arrange a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
Wilders cancelled the cartoon contest after protests broke out in Pakistan and he was inundated with death threats.
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.
Wilders is known for his tough views on Islam, with his party having previously vowed to close mosques and “ban the Quran” in its manifesto.
His stance against Islam has in the past sparked outrage around the Muslim world and prompted death threats that have led to him living under round-the-clock protection.
In 2020, a Dutch court cleared Wilders of inciting hatred and discrimination, but upheld his conviction for insulting a racial group after he led calls for "fewer Moroccans" in the Netherlands at a rally several years prior.