A press freedom group has denounced the “unacceptable” injury of an award-winning Syrian photojournalist during a Paris protest against police brutality.
Ameer Alhalbi, a freelance photographer who worked for Polka Magazine and AFP, was covering the weekend demonstrations opposing police violence and the French government’s new law restricting sharing images of officers.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
In AFP photos Alhalbi’s face appears bruised with much of his head covered in bandages.
Christophe Deloire, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, tweeted that the 24-year-old had been wounded at Place de la Bastille by “a police baton” and condemned the violence.
“Ameer came from #Syria to #France to take refuge, like several other Syrian journalists. The land of human rights should not threaten them, but protect them,” he said in a second tweet.
Deloire also noted Alhalbi had been clearly identified as a journalist.
Dimitri Beck, director of photography for Polka, said that Alhalbi had suffered a broken nose and injured forehead, and had been taken to hospital.
Alhalbi has won several international awards, including second prize in the “Spot News” category for the World Press Photo in 2017, mainly for his coverage of the Syrian conflict in his home city Aleppo for AFP.
Police said Sunday that two demonstrators had complained of being hurt by officers in protests outside Paris, while no count had yet been made in the capital itself.
Some 62 police officers were injured during the Saturday demonstrations, the interior ministry said, while 81 people were arrested.
A number of videos shared online showed marchers beating police officers.
The interior ministry added that 133,000 people had taken part in the demonstrations, 46,000 of them in Paris, while organizers said the figure was 500,000 nationwide and 200,000 in Paris.
Read more: Paris protesters clash with police at protest against police violence
Also Read
-
Security forces fire tear gas at Paris protest against police violence
Security forces fired tear gas at a protest march against police violence in Paris on Saturday after masked protesters launched fireworks at their ... World News -
Incoming US envoy on climate change says Paris accord ‘not enough’
Incoming US climate envoy John Kerry called Tuesday for a UN conference in Glasgow next year to raise global ambitions on environmental protection, ... World News -
From Paris to Tigray, the world is afflicted by a crisis of identity
Upon examining the latest events taking place all over the world, it seems clear that we are on the cusp of a new global crisis. The dramatic rise in ... In Translation
