Two Syrian men were sentenced to more than four years in prison for the death of a young Syrian toddler whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in September, reports New York Times.
The death of the boy, Aylan Kurdi, and the gripping photo of his body lying facedown in the sand and surf of the beach focused the world’s attention on the plight of migrants risking their lives to flee war and deprivation.
The Turkish news agency Dogan identified the two men as Muwafaka Alabash, 36, and Asem Alfrhad, 35. A court in the coastal resort town of Bodrum, in southwestern Turkey, convicted them of smuggling refugees, five of whom died, including Aylan, 2, his 5-year-old brother, Galip, and their mother, Rihan. They all drowned when the 15-foot rubber raft they were riding to Greece flipped in high waves.
The court acquitted the men on charges of causing the deaths through deliberate negligence, and reduced their initial sentence of five years in prison to four years and two months because of good behaviour.
The judgment on Friday prompted immediate reactions on social media, where observers appeared to find the punishment — they had faced a maximum of 35 years — too lenient.
Trials in Turkey usually take months - even years - to conclude, but the verdict appeared to be an effort by the country to show that it is cracking down on human traffickers.