Year after Aylan Kurdi's iconic photo, father says little changed

Abdullah Kurdi, a Syrian who now lives in Iraq, lost not only 3-year-old Aylan but also son Galip, 5, and wife Rihan, 35, one year ago.

September 02, 2016 06:33 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 02:28 am IST - BERLIN

The father of a 3-year-old boy whose lifeless body photographed on a Turkish beach drew the world’s attention to the plight of refugees says little has changed in the year since.

Abdullah Kurdi, a Syrian who now lives in Iraq, lost not only 3-year-old Aylan but also son Galip, 5, and wife Rihan, 35, one year ago.

Mr. Kurdi was quoted by Germany’s Bild newspaper as saying this week that he’s glad the photo of his son’s body was published to “make clear to people what is happening” but he’s upset that more hasn’t been done for refugees since.

“Politicians said after the death of my family- never again!” he said. “Everyone allegedly wanted to do something after the photos that had so moved them. But what is happening now? The dying goes on and nobody’s doing anything.”

Mr. Kurdi urged others contemplating the journey that he undertook with his family to rethink their plans.

“I’d like to say to the refugees in the refugee camps that they shouldn’t make this journey,” he said. “The danger is too great. It’s not worth it.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.