EU: One year after the death of Alan Kurdi
02 September 2016
One year after three-year-old refugee Alan Kurdi drowned in the Aegean Sea, his father "has urged Europe to keep its doors open to migrants," while his grandfather has made a "plea for world leaders to end the war in Syria." Amnesty International's general secretary said on the anniversary of the child's death: "The outpouring of sympathy for Alan Kurdi seen last year must be extended to the countless other refugee children who are in dire need of help," with the organisation noting the "dismal failure of world leaders to tackle the refugee crisis."
Alan Kurdi's father in plea for migrants a year after tragedy (BBC News, link):
"The father of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old boy who drowned a year ago as his family fled Syria, has urged Europe to keep its doors open to migrants.
Abdullah Kurdi told the BBC he still hoped that world leaders could stop the war in Syria.
Haunting images of Alan's body lying on a Turkish beach a year ago focused world attention on the refugee crisis."
Exclusive: Alan Kurdi’s Grandfather Begs World to 'End Madness' of Syrian War (Newsweek, link):
"A year after the image of three-year-old Alan Kurdi lying lifeless on a Turkish beach pushed the Syrian refugee crisis to the top of the international agenda, his grandfather makes an emotional plea for world leaders to end the war in Syria.
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Sexo Seno Kurdi, speaking by phone from the northern Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane—from which Alan, his mother Rehan, father Abdullah and brother Galip fled two years ago—discusses his year of heartache since his daughter and grandchildren died at sea. On the eve of the anniversary of the family’s attempt to reach the Greek island of Kos from the Turkish coastal resort of Bodrum, Kurdi talks about coping with his loss."
Anniversary of Alan Kurdi drowning highlights continuing global shame (Amnesty, link):
"One year after the shocking image of Syrian boy Alan Kurdi’s drowned body caused international outcry, world leaders are still failing to respond to the refugee crisis, said Amnesty International today.
Marking the 2 September anniversary of Alan’s death, the organisation drew attention to the plight of thousands of other refugee children let down by the dismal failure of world leaders to tackle the refugee crisis. In July, negotiations ahead of the 19 September UN Refugee and Migrant Summit put the “Global Compact on Refugee Responsibility-Sharing” proposed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on ice until 2018."
And see:
The death of Alan Kurdi: one year on, compassion towards refugees fades (The Guardian, link)