Despite attempts by her mother’s lawyer, Dutch politicians and the Dutch royal family, it has still not been possible to return the girl to her mother. Since the kidnapping, the father, Shehzad H., has been living in India, as has daughter Insiya. The Netherlands has requested H.’s extradition, but so far no response has been given.
Previous statements
In 2020, the girl’s father was sentenced to nine years in prison on appeal. The court previously also imposed nine years. The court also found a prison sentence of 9 years appropriate, but reduced it by 6 months due to the longer duration of the trial.
H. had appealed against the latter ruling because he believes that he should have received a video connection. He did not want to physically attend the hearings in the trial, because he would end up in prison upon arrival in the Netherlands.
“It cannot be said that the defense did not have a fair trial,” the Supreme Court now says in its judgment. “The fact that a suspect may fear that he will be captured during a trial in the Netherlands does not in itself mean that a video connection must be offered.”
Kidnapping from home
The kidnapping took place on September 26, 2016, when three men entered Insiya’s grandmother’s home. At that moment, the 2-year-old toddler is present in the home with her grandmother, aunt and uncle. One of the men has zip ties and a taser with him. The other two men pick up the girl, take her into the car and drive away.