Syrian in exile exhibits photos from conflict in Aleppo

Описание: (15 May 2015) LEAD-IN:
A Syrian photographer is holding an exhibition of images from his country's civil war.
"Aleppo Point Zero" has been launched in Paris with the help of an organisation that helps journalists living in exile.

STORY-LINE:
Muzaffar Salman greets guests at the opening of his exhibition.
The Syrian photographer has captured a series of powerful images of the ongoing conflict in his homeland.
The pictures show a snapshot of life in Aleppo.
Once Syria's largest city and commercial capital, it has been a major battleground in the country's civil war.
Salman is pleased the event has attracted a large crowd.
"I'm so happy of course. At first I though nobody will come because I'm talking about a story that's become so old now: Syrian, war in Syria, Free Syrian Army, normal Syrians die everyday. So I'm happy now to see all people who care to know more," he says.
The exhibition has been staged with the help of La Maison des journalists, a French non-governmental organisation which supports journalists forced to flee from their countries.
"Thank you Muzaffar for giving us the chance to go inside Aleppo. To take hold of the emotion, the pain, the fight of people caught in a vice of a never-ending conflict," says Darline Cothi�re, Director of La Maison des journalists.
"We hope that this detour to Aleppo Zero Point, will convince you of the work of La Maison des Journalists for freedom of the press, freedom of speech. We also hope that it will kindle desire for solidarity because we need you, the exiled journalists need you," she tells the audience.
La Maison des journalists is based in Paris and has housed more than 300 journalists since it was founded in 2002.
Last year, it gave 31 journalists from 14 different countries a place to live and helped them work.
"All journalists who are accommodated at La Maison des journalists, must continue to write when they are print journalists, to publish pictures, photographs," says Christian Auboyneau, President of La Maison des journalists.
Salman fled Syria in February last year due to a variety of threats.
The Islamic State group kidnapped several of his friends and he was arrested by the Syrian government because of his work.
Salman remembers the dangers as he looks through his photographs.
"Sometimes I feel I am crazy, what am I doing - it was so dangerous to be there," he says.
"Because in this demonstration, I've been stopped five, four or five times by security and, by chance, they leave me because it was the first demonstration and they didn't know what to do, they wanted to arrest me but the people gathered, trying to save me so they leave me alone," he recalls.
Another photograph reminds him of a close call during a visit to A'zaz in the north of Aleppo.
"We stopped here, ok, five minutes. And in these five minutes, the market we had to go to - shelling by the Syrian government," Salman says.
He says a previous exhibition at the Goethe Institute in Damascus and his work at El Watan newspaper means he is well known.
"That's why it is so important to show these photos with my name," he says.
Salman has not seen his family for two years - they remain in Homs.
He last spoke to them two months ago.
Despite the difficulties, he says it was "worth it".
Salman's exhibition runs until September 15th.

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