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A father who fled the Netherlands after murdering his daughter in an “honor killing” has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Dutch court, while his two sons were also jailed.
Khaled al Najjar, 53, was sentenced in absentia to 30 years in prison on Monday for the murder of his 18-year-old daughter Ryan al Najjar.
The court heard that he fled the Netherlands within hours of the killing in May 2024 and remains in hiding in northern Syria.
- Khaled al Najjar was sentenced in absentia to 30 years for the honor killing of his 18-year-old daughter Ryan in May 2024.
- His two sons, Mohamed and Muhanad, received 20-year prison sentences for their roles in helping to cover up the murder.
- Ryan was found gagged, tied, and submerged in water at a remote nature reserve six days after being reported missing.
Khaled al Najjar was found guilty of killing his daughter Ryan al Najjar
Image credits: Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Khaled was found guilty of murdering his daughter in absentia at court in Lelystad this week.
His two sons, Mohamed, 23, and Muhanad, 25, were also convicted for their complicity in the crime and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors had argued that the crime amounted to an honor killing and followed long-term control and intimidation within the household, as reported by Dutch media.
The brothers maintained they were not involved in the killing of their sister, while referring to their father Khaled in court as a “monster” and a “psychopath,” according to Dutch News.
However, the court heard that the pair actively worked to scrub evidence of the murder by removing images and videos from Ryan’s phone and asking other family members to delete message histories.
Before the killing took place, the brothers had reportedly discussed several ways to end Ryan’s life with their father, including using a poisonous plant.
In its ruling, the court said the actions of the brothers showed that “destroying evidence was their only concern.”
Following the killing, Khaled allegedly sent two emails to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claiming responsibility for the murder and asserting that his sons were innocent.
Prosecutors rejected this, saying evidence showed both brothers knowingly took part in the plan.
Ryan was reported missing on May 22, 2024, and her body was discovered six days later by a passerby in a swamp in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve near Lelystad, around 25 miles northeast of Amsterdam.
She had been gagged, her hands tied behind her back, her ankles taped together, and her body submerged in water.
The court heard that Khaled restrained and strangled his daughter before leaving her body in the water at the isolated location, with his DNA being found under her fingernails.
Image credits: Pierre Crom/Getty Images
One of the sons was present at the scene when she died, the court heard, although it was not possible to determine which son carried out which actions.
The court ruled that the exact division of roles was irrelevant to their guilt and that both sons knew what would happen when they collected Ryan from Rotterdam and drove her to the nature reserve.
“It is clear that he, too, played a significant role in his sister’s death,” the judge said.
Prosecutors told the court the killing appeared to have been triggered by Ryan’s adopting Western norms, which they said had conflicted with her family’s strict traditional values.
They pointed in particular to a TikTok video in which Ryan appeared without a headscarf and wearing makeup.
Messages between family members suggested the video had caused anger and embarrassment within the family, The Sun reported.
“Honour killings are completely unacceptable,” a prosecutor said. “This is a form of femicide.”
Ryan had previously been under police protection, but it was withdrawn before her death, and authorities have not detailed why it ended.
At sentencing, Mohamed chose to remain in custody and did not attend court, according to officials.
Muhanad chose to appear for the sentencing, with his lawyer, John Muhren, later saying that an appeal would be lodged.
“There is no direct evidence linking him to the crime,” he said.
Khaled remains a fugitive in Syria, where Dutch media report he has since remarried, and it is unlikely he will be extradited.
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