Theo van Gogh

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Theo van Gogh
Van Gogh in 2004
Born
Theodoor van Gogh

(1957-07-23)23 July 1957
The Hague, Netherlands
Died2 November 2004(2004-11-02) (aged 47)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Cause of deathMurder
MonumentsThe Scream
Years active1980–2004
Notable workBlind Date, Interview, Submission, 06/05
ChildrenLieuwe van Gogh
RelativesTheo van Gogh (great-grandfather)
Vincent van Gogh (great-granduncle)
Henk Vonhoff (uncle)
Johan Witteveen (first cousin once removed)
Willem Witteveen (second cousin)

Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈteːjoː vɑŋ ˈɣɔx]; 23 July 1957 – 2 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[change | change source]

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[change | change source]

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.[1]

Suspect[change | change source]

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[change | change source]

  1. DeLong, William (1 May 2018). "Theo Van Gogh's Film On Islam Was So Controversial, He Was Killed Over It". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 8 August 2020.