Turkey jails Syrian smugglers over death of tot Aylan Kurdi

Two suspects get four-year sentence for human trafficking; acquitted of causing deaths of five people through negligence

ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court on Friday sentenced two Syrian smugglers to four years and two months each in prison over the death of 3-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi and four other people, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The court in the Aegean resort of Bodrum convicted the two of human trafficking but acquitted them of the charge of causing the deaths through deliberate negligence, the agency said.

The image of the boy’s lifeless body lying face down on a Turkish beach galvanized world attention on the refugee crisis, graphically illustrating the magnitude of the migrants’ suffering.

Aylan’s brother, Galip, and mother, Rihan, were also among the five victims who drowned when their boat went down in the ill-fated journey from Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos last year. While Turkish authorities have given the boy’s first name as Aylan, his aunt says the family prefers that it be transliterated as Alan.

This handout photo courtesy of Tima Kurdi shows Alan Kurdi, left, and his brother Galib Kurdi. The body of 3-year-old Syrian Alan Kurdi was found on a Turkish beach after the small rubber boat he, his 5-year old brother Galib and their mother, Rehan, were in capsized during a desperate voyage from Turkey to Greece. The family stated that the spelling of the boys’ names had been changed by Turkish authorities to Aylan and Galip, but were in fact spelled as Alan and Galib. (Photo courtesy of Tima Kurdi /The Canadian Press via AP) — Aylan Kurdi (left), and his brother Galip Kurdi. The body of 3-year-old Syrian Aylan was found on a Turkish beach after the small rubber boat capsized in which he, his 5-year-old brother and their mother, Rehan, were trying to reach Greece from Turkey. (Courtesy of Tima Kurdi /The Canadian Press via AP)

Trials in Turkey usually take months — even years — to conclude, but the verdict, which came just a month after the trial opened, appeared to be an effort by the country to show that it is cracking down on human traffickers, just days before a March 7 summit between Turkey and the European Union to discuss the migrant crisis.

Turkey is under pressure to reduce the tide of migrants to Europe and to combat the smuggling rings since it reached a deal with the EU in November. Under the deal, Turkey is scheduled to receive a 3 billion euro ($3.26 billion) fund to help the country deal with Syrian refugees.

The defendants, Syrian nationals Muwafaka Alabash and Asem Alfrhad, had denied any responsibility in the migrants’ deaths. Instead, they blamed Aylan’s father, Abdullah Kurdi, for the deaths — accusing him of organizing the trip. Prosecutors had sought maximum 35 years in prison for each.