Dutch MP cries foul as court rejects his witnesses

Thu, 04 Feb 2010

The Dutch lawmaker and producer of the anti-Islamic 'Fitna' movie, Geert Wilders, claims he has been denied the right to a fair trial.

He made the remark after the Amsterdam District Court rejected most of his requested defense witnesses, saying that he could only call three witnesses out of the 18 he had sought.

He said that he was "angry and disappointed" with Wednesday's hearing, arguing that the ruling placed the right of the Europeans to speak what they wish about Islam in jeopardy.

"I know that I spoke the truth and didn't say anything punishable," he claimed, vowing to "fight like a lion."

“This court is not interested in the truth. This court doesn't want me to have a fair trial. I can't have any respect for this. This court would not be out of place in a dictatorship,” said the far-right politician in a statement, following the hearing.

Prosecutors had initially declined to charge Wilders, but an appeals court ordered prosecutors to put the MP on trial, insisting that politicians could not make "statements which create hate and grief."

Wilders is on trial for his provocative short documentary film, Fitna, which features passages from the Koran along with footages of terror attacks. The film's screening in the Netherlands in 2008 provoked Muslim sentiments and prompted massive protests across the world.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117861§ionid=351020605.