A man convicted of the murder of his 18-year-old daughter in an ‘honour killing’ in the Netherlands has been handed a 30-year jail term. However, the perpetrator, Khaled al Najjar, remains at large in Syria. He was sentenced in absentia for the killing of his daughter, Ryan al Najjar. Meanwhile, his two sons, Mohamed and Muhanad, received 20-year prison sentences each for their involvement in their sister’s tragic death.
The court revealed that Ryan was bound, gagged with 18 meters of duct tape, and drowned in a shallow pool in a national park in Lelystad, located approximately 25 miles northeast of Amsterdam. Investigations found traces of their father’s DNA on the duct tape and under Ryan’s fingernails, suggesting she was alive when thrown into the water.
After the murder, Khaled fled to northern Syria, where he remarried. In a letter to a newspaper, he confessed to the crime but absolved his sons of any wrongdoing. Prosecutors, however, disputed his claims, asserting that both brothers played a role in the heinous act.
During the trial, it emerged that Ryan was killed for rejecting the values of her strict Islamic upbringing in Joure, Friesland. Prosecutors described the incident as a response to a TikTok video where Ryan appeared without a headscarf and makeup, causing outrage in her family.
Prosecutors painted a grim picture of Ryan’s final moments, highlighting the fear she must have experienced in an isolated location in the dark of night. Ryan had sought help from the police multiple times, reporting threats and assaults by her father and brothers since 2022.
The brothers denied involvement in their sister’s death, labeling their father as a “psychopath” and a “monster.” However, evidence presented in court indicated their complicity in covering up the crime by deleting incriminating content from Ryan’s phone.
Of the three men, only Muhanad attended the sentencing hearing, while Mohamed opted to remain in custody. Muhanad expressed his intent to clear his name, with his lawyer planning to appeal the verdict due to lack of direct evidence linking him to the murder.
With no extradition treaty between Syria and the Netherlands, it is unlikely that Khaled will ever serve his sentence, as he shows no inclination to voluntarily return to the country.