Prosecutors seek 25 years for father, 20 years for sons in teen daughter’s honor killing

The Public Prosecution Service demanded prison sentences Friday of up to 25 years for three suspects in the murder of 18-year-old Ryan Al Najjar, including her father, Khaled Al N., 53, and her brothers, Mohamed and Muhanad, 23 and 25. Khaled, who remains a fugitive in Syria, will be tried in absentia.

Prosecutors said Khaled orchestrated the killing, directing and instructing his sons. “He fled to Syria immediately after the murder and left his sons to take the blame. Cowardly,” the prosecutor said. “Khaled has completely destroyed his family.” The sons each face 20-year sentence demands.

Ryan disappeared from her family home in Joure on May 22, 2024. A week later, on May 28, her body was discovered in the Oostvaardersplassen area near Lelystad. Investigators said her wrists and legs were bound with tape, her head wrapped, and that she had died by drowning. Khaled’s DNA was reportedly found under her fingernails.

The prosecution said Ryan had violated her family’s expectations by adopting a Western lifestyle, associating with males, refusing to wear a headscarf, and using social media.

“Honor killings are completely unacceptable,” the prosecutor said. “This is a form of femicide.”

The night before her murder, Mohamed and Muhanad allegedly picked up Ryan from a home in Rotterdam. They drove her to Knardijk near Lelystad, where they met their father. Shortly after midnight, Ryan was killed. “What must she have feared,” the prosecutor said. “In the middle of the night, in complete darkness, in a completely isolated place.”

Forensic investigations confirmed all three suspects were present at the crime scene, although it is unclear who performed specific acts. “Khaled was the driving force, but without his sons, Ryan would not have been there at all,” prosecutors said.

While the brothers blame their father for the murder, their sisters support them and also hold the father responsible. Prosecutors, however, pointed to intercepted chat messages suggesting the brothers may have been actively involved.

Khaled reportedly sent emails to Dutch media confessing to his daughter’s murder while claiming his sons were not involved.

Khaled is currently living in northern Syria and has remarried since Ryan’s death. Dutch authorities have said criminal cooperation with Syria is currently limited, making extradition difficult.

Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais has stated that the Syrian justice system is operational and that legal assistance is possible, but no request has yet been received from the Netherlands.

The brothers were arrested soon after Ryan’s body was found and have been in custody since. Defense lawyers are scheduled to present arguments Monday. The court will issue its verdict on January 5.