A Pakistani religious leader is tried in his absence for allegedly threatening Geert Wilders

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors demanded a 14-year sentence Monday for a Pakistani Muslim leader accused of inciting the murder of anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, the leader of the party that won last year’s general election in the Netherlands.

Muhammad Ashraf Asif Jalali did not appear for trial at a closely guarded courtroom near Amsterdam as prosecutors accused him of abusing his position as a religious leader to call on followers to hang or behead Wilders.

In a second case, prosecutors sought a six-year sentence against a second Pakistani man, Saad Rizvi, who leads the radical Islamist Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, or TLP, for incitement or threatening a terrorist crime against Wilders. Rizvi also did not show up for his trial.

Neither of the men is believed to be in the country, and Pakistan has no extradition agreement with the Netherlands. Prosecutors said in a statement that requests they sent to Pakistani authorities seeking legal assistance to serve subpoenas on the two men were not executed.

They are the latest Dutch trials for Muslims who have threatened Wilders’ life, forcing him to live under around-the-clock police protection for nearly 20 years because of his outspoken criticism of Islam.

Last year, a former Pakistani cricketer, Khalid Latif, was sentenced to 12 years in prison over allegations that he had offered a reward for the death of Wilders. Latif also did not appear for trial. In 2019, a Pakistani man was arrested in the Netherlands, convicted and sentenced to 10 years for preparing a terrorist attack on Wilders, who is sometimes called the Dutch Donald Trump.

In a statement to the court, Wilders told judges of the impact of the threats on his life, that has been lived under intense security