ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security forces in Erbil have arrested a suspected human smuggler accused of involvement in the deaths of three Kurdish siblings from Sulaimani who drowned while attempting to cross from Turkey into Greece last month, the Erbil Asayish Directorate announced Tuesday.
The three children - Hastyar, 12, Haryad, 9, and Mela, 5 - died around mid-October when an overcrowded inflatable boat carrying their family and other migrants capsized in the Maritsa (Meric) River, known as the Evros in Greece, along the border between the two countries.
“After collecting information and investigations, we uncovered the identity of the smuggler with the initials R.A.M, and upon his return to the Kurdistan Region, our forces arrested him based on an Erbil Asayish Investigative judge order,” the directorate said.
The tragedy drew widespread attention after the children's parents recounted to Rudaw English how smugglers threatened them and forced them to attempt the dangerous river crossing despite their concerns about the boat's safety. The family had hoped to reach Germany in search of a better life.
The children's father, Harem Mohammed, 41, previously told Rudaw English that he and his wife, Hozan Rostam, 37, had traveled with their children from Sulaimani to Istanbul before heading to the Turkish border city of Edirne.
The family had deposited $55,000 to be handed over to the smugglers upon their arrival in Germany, according to Mohammed.
He said the smugglers brought the family to a wooded area near the border and guided them to the river, where they were instructed to board a small inflatable boat alongside other migrants.
Mohammed recalled that the boat was too small to accommodate the eight passengers and their luggage, prompting him to object to the crossing.
“There were eight of us with eight bags, and the smugglers were two people. I asked them to take the bags and one of us to the other side first, then return for the rest of us. But the guide, whose name was Sarbaz, threatened me. I was afraid he would harm my children, so I had no choice but to agree,” he told Rudaw.
The boat overturned shortly after entering the river.
One of the children was pulled from the river but later died at a hospital in Edirne, while the other two were swept away by strong currents.
Turkish rescue teams subsequently launched a search operation involving the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and gendarmerie units.
Mohammed and his wife appealed to Kurdistan Region authorities to help recover and repatriate their children's bodies.
In an emotional interview with Rudaw, the grieving father urged other families considering irregular migration routes not to trust smugglers.
“Don't break your own hearts as I have broken mine, and don't be deceived by the words of smugglers,” he said.
