A court in the Netherlands has sentenced 53-year-old Khaled al-Najjar to 30 years in prison after convicting him of masterminding the honour killing of his 18-year-old daughter, Ryan Al Najjar.
According to prosecutors, the crime came after years of conflict within the family over Ryan’s “Western” lifestyle, which included her activity on social media, having a boyfriend, and refusing to wear a headscarf — behaviours her relatives believed disgraced them.
In May 2024, Ryan was taken to a secluded nature reserve, where she was bound, gagged and drowned in a shallow pool. Investigators said DNA traces belonging to her father were found beneath her fingernails, indicating she struggled to defend herself during the attack.
Her brothers, Muhanad, 25, and Mohamed, 23, were also found guilty of involvement. The court in Lelystad ruled that they knowingly helped transport Ryan to the remote location where she was killed, sentencing each of them to 20 years in prison.
Khaled al-Najjar was convicted in absentia after fleeing to Syria shortly after the killing. He is still at large, and Dutch authorities say his extradition is unlikely due to the absence of legal cooperation between the two countries.
