Theo van Gogh

Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh (; 23 July 19572 November 2004) was a Dutch movie director, movie producer, columnist, author and actor who was murdered in 2004 because of his own film. He was born in The Hague, Netherlands. His great-great uncle was artist Vincent van Gogh.

 Career 
Van Gogh worked with the Somali-born writer and politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali to produce the short movie Submission (2004), which criticized the treatment of women in Islam.  The last movie Van Gogh had completed before his death, 06/05, was a fictional exploration of the assassination of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn.

 Death 

On 2 November 2004, Van Gogh was mortally shot, stabbed and then slitting his throat by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim in Amsterdam. He died at the scene. He was 47 years old.

 Suspect 
In 2005, Mohammed Bouyeri was charged with the premeditated murder of Van Gogh, the attempted murder of several police officers and bystanders, illegal possession of firearms, obstructing the work of Hirsi Ali as a member of parliament and threatening her with a terrorist act.
A life sentence carries no possibility of parole in the Netherlands, but convicts can be released after receiving a royal pardon.
Whether Bouyeri would like a pardon from the queen is another matter. In a dramatic final speech to the court at the end of his trial two weeks ago, he said he wanted to receive the maximum punishment and warned that he would do the same again if he were freed.

 References 

Category:1957 births
Category:2004 deaths
Category:Dutch columnists
Category:Dutch movie actors
Category:Dutch movie directors
Category:Dutch movie producers
Category:Dutch murder victims
Category:Dutch television actors
Category:Islamophobia
Category:People murdered in the Netherlands
Category:Actors from The Hague
Category:Writers from The Hague