Born in 1995 in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, Abdulmonam Eassa was forced to stop his studies in 2012, when he was a senior in high school, a year after the outbreak of the Syrian revolution. To keep himself busy, he began documenting what was happening around him, writing, filming and taking photos. He left his country in 2018 and did not return until the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Can you tell us about the circumstances under which you left Syria in 2018?

I was born in Eastern Ghouta, the eastern suburbs of Damascus. This region was under siege for nearly five years by the forces of Bashar al-Assad's regime. At the end of March 2018, thousands of civilians and rebels were forced to head north. Russian army bombardments claimed thousands of civilian lives. This support enabled Assad to retake Ghouta. I can't say that "I got out" of Ghouta, but rather that I was forcibly displaced from my hometown, which was largely destroyed.

When I reached northern Syria, I decided to leave the country and head for Turkey, as I had no other choice at the time. Once there, I applied for asylum at the French consulate.

Have you been back since?

Since arriving in France in October 2018, I've started my life again from scratch. I've continued my work as a press photographer and started learning French and English. I had no right to return to my country because of the refugee status requirements in France.

However, after obtaining French nationality at the end of 2021, I returned to northwest Syria to cover the aftermath of the huge earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in 2023. The areas under the regime's control remained dangerous for journalists, especially Syrians.

You have 65.02% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.