Honour killing: 18-year-old Dutch girl drowned for 'Western behaviour'; father, two brothers on trial

An 18-year-old girl was killed by her father and two brothers because they believed her “Western behaviour” was bringing shame to the family, Dutch prosecutors said.

Ryan Al Najjar was found on 28 May 2024 in a swamp in northern Netherlands — gagged, tied with tape and submerged, six days after she went missing from her home in Joure.




Prosecutors say Ryan had stopped wearing a headscarf, interacted with boys and was active on social media, which her family saw as unacceptable.

"The immediate cause of her death appears to be a live video on TikTok, showing Ryan without a headscarf and wearing makeup," prosecutors said.

On the night before the murder, her brothers picked her up from a house in Rotterdam and drove her to a remote area, where their father joined them.

DNA from her father, Khaled, was found under her fingernails, suggesting he was present during the killing, which happened shortly after midnight on 22 May 2024.

In court, the prosecutor described the fear Ryan must have felt— alone, in the dark, far from help.

“What must she have feared. In the middle of the night, in complete darkness, in a completely isolated place,” the prosecutor said, as quoted by New York Post.

He later emailed Dutch media, admitting to killing his daughter but claiming his sons were not involved. However, investigators say intercepted messages show the brothers did take part.

“Khaled was the driving force, but without his sons, Ryan would not have been there at all,” prosecutors said.

The brothers each face up to 20 years in prison. Khaled could receive 25 years when he is tried in absentia.

Defence lawyers will present their arguments on Monday, and the court is expected to deliver its verdict on 5 January 2026.