Prosecutors are seeking a 35-year prison sentence for two suspected smugglers held responsible for the drowning death of the three-year-old Syrian boy whose lifeless body was photographed face down on the shore of a Turkish beach.
Turkey’s state-run news agency said the prosecutor’s office in the resort of Bodrum on Thursday accused the two Syrians of “deliberate negligence” and of migrant trafficking. Authorities were still trying to identify six other suspected smugglers.
READ MORE: 4-year-old Syrian girl found washed up on Turkish coast, latest in dozens of child deaths
Alan Kurdi, his five-year-old brother, Ghalib, and their mother, Rehan, were among at least 12 migrants, including five children, who drowned Sept. 2 when two boats carrying them to the Greek island of Kos capsized.
Turkish photojournalist Nilufer Demir captured the gut-wrenching photo of Alan, which captivated much of the world and became a symbol of the Syrian refugee crisis.
WARNING: This below image contains content some viewers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
According to Agence France-Presse, prosecutors are demanding 35-year sentences for each of the suspected smugglers.
READ MORE: Will this photo help people grasp the desperation of Syrian refugees?
A hearing date has yet to be determined.
–with a file from The Associated Press
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