Two alleged people-smugglers have gone on trial in Turkey accused of causing the death of three-year-old Syrian migrant boy Alan Kurdi and four other people.
The image of the boy – his lifeless body lying face down on a beach in Bodrum – galvanised world attention on the refugee crisis, illustrating the magnitude of the suffering and the treacherous journeys migrants risk.
The trial against Syrian nationals Muwafaka Alabash and Asem Alfrhad opened in the Aegean resort of Bodrum. The two face up to 35 years in prison if convicted of human-smuggling and causing the deaths of five people "through deliberate negligence".
Alan's brother and mother also drowned on the journey from Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos.
Muwafaka Alabash and Asem Alfrhad denied any responsibility over the migrants' deaths in their opening hearing, the private Dogan news agency reported.
Instead they blamed Alan's father, Abdullah Kurdi, for the deaths – accusing him of organising the trip and of sailing the boat.
Abdullah Kurdi has since returned to Syria.
Alan's brother, Galip, and mother Rihan, were among the five victims who drowned when their boat went down in the ill-fated journey.
