Witnesses limited in Dutch lawmaker's hate-speech trial

Thursday, February 04, 2010

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Dutch media reported on the latest twist in the trial of Geert Wilders on charges of insulting Muslims and incitement to religious hatred. The Freedom Party (PVV) leader and member of parliament wanted to call 18 witnesses to give evidence in his defence but, in a pre-trial session, the court has whittled the number down to just three.

The Netherlands judge also ruled that their evidence will be heard by an examining magistrate in private and not in open court. The paper explains that the move is probably intended to stop Mr Wilders maximising publicity around the case.

Wilders wanted to call witnesses to show that his negative comments, about for instance the Qur'an, were true. These included Mohammed Bouyeri, the militant Muslim who murdered Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh in 2004.

The judge however argued it was well known that some people use the Qur'an to justify violence and that evidence to prove the point was not needed. An angry Wilders told journalists: "This court is obviously not interested in the truth". The trial proper, which will take around a week, will begin towards the end of this year.

Wilders produced a short video entitled 'Fitna' which has enraged some Muslims who have issued death threats against the Dutch lawmaker. He and his family now live under police protection and must move from place to place for their safety. Wilders was banned from entering the United Kingdom in 2009 to lecture about his video and the inroads of radical Islam because of his alleged hate speech.

Speroforum editor Martin Barillas is a former US diplomat, who also worked as a democracy advocate and election observer in Latin America. He is also a freelance translator.

Filed under netherlands, eu, islam, democracy, human rights, law

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