A teenager has died after her family tied her up and threw her in a swamp in an honor killing for bringing disgrace to the family with her Western behavior, according to prosecutors in the Netherlands.
The brothers of the 18-year-old victim, Ryan Al Najjar, are now on trial for her murder, while her father, who is accused of ordering the killing, fled the country to return to Syria.
Mohamed, 23, and Muhanad Al Najjar, 25, are charged with taking part in the horrific crime against their teenage sister, whose body was found gagged with her hands bound behind her back, ankles taped together, and submerged in a swamp six days after she vanished from the family home in Joure.
Their father, Khaled, will be tried in absentia. Ryan disappeared on May 22, 2024. A passerby discovered her body on May 28 in Lelystad, about 25 miles north-east of Amsterdam.
Investigators Found the Father’s DNA Under the Victim’s Fingernails, Indicating a Struggle Before Her Death
Investigators later found DNA belonging to her father under her fingernails, indicating that she had put up a struggle before her death. According to the prosecutors, Ryan was killed because she had a boyfriend and behaved in a way her family considered “Western,” and had “shamed” them.
The Public Prosecution Service formally designated her killing as an honor killing. The brothers, whose trial began yesterday, insist they were not involved and say their father carried out the murder alone. Khaled allegedly sent two emails to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claiming responsibility and saying his sons were innocent. Prosecutors, however, rejected that claim.
Prosecutors argued that the father told his sons to collect Ryan, drive her to an isolated location, and throw her into the water while she was gagged and weighed down. The prosecution says the brothers carried out the plan knowing she would die.
Ryan’s Police Protection was Discontinued Just Before Her Death
Before her death, Ryan was being monitored by the police and was given protection, but that was ended prior to her murder. It has not been revealed why her protection was discontinued.
Both brothers were arrested shortly after the body was located and have remained in custody since then. Their father fled the country and has not been tracked down. According to the Dutch current-affairs programme Nieuwsuur, Khaled is believed to be living in northern Syria, where he has remarried since the killing.
The brothers’ lawyers had earlier requested that they be released from pre-trial custody. But a judge ruled that they must be held behind bars until their trial.
Honor Killings on the Rise Across Europe
Authorities in the Netherlands are believed to provide protection to around five women each year who are considered to be potential targets of honour-based killings. Experts across Europe have noted a concerning rise in honour killings and abuse over the past two to three decades, with several high-profile cases drawing attention to the issue.
One such case unfolded in Italy, where a Pakistani couple received life sentences in 2023 for the murder of their 18-year-old daughter, Saman Abbas. The couple killed the teen after she rejected her parents’ demands that she marry a cousing.
A similarly shocking incident occurred in Sweden, where a Somalian refugee was jailed for life in 2023 for killing his girlfriend, who was seven months pregnant at the time.
Germany also witnessed a particularly harrowing case, resulting in life sentences for a Muslim couple who killed their 19-year-old daughter, Lareeb Khan, after she was caught attempting to steal condoms – which they viewed as bringing dishonour to the family.
