The truth about viral picture of Syrian girl who surrendered – Trade

The image was shared by thousands of users on the Internet: a small Syrian girl with arms raised in surrender

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Those who shared the picture said they were “shocked”. They spoke of “fear in the eyes of the child” looks “fix their eyes on the barrel of a gun”.

The story behind the photo, however, was very different.

There was a weapon he saw the small, but a camera. And the image was captured for all the world to see.

The BBC screened a photographer to investigate how the picture came up.

WHO TOOK THAT PICTURE?

The photo went viral on Tuesday of last week, when it was tweeted by Nadia Abu Shaban, a photo journalist based in the conflict in Strip .

Suddenly, the image is spread through social networks.

“I’m crying,” “incredibly sad” and “humanity has failed”, were some of the comments.

The original release has been re-tweeted more than 11,000 times.

On Friday, the image was shared on Reddit, generating another wave of emotions.

You have received more than 5,000 votes of “likes” and over 1,600 comments.

The unbearable conditions have forced families with their children from their homes. (Photo: BBC)

A FITTING

But soon both networks were allegations that the photo was a fake, a montage? .

 Many Twitter wondered who had taken the photo and why was released without credit.

Abu Shaban confirmed that she was not the author but could not clarify who it was.

Imgur an image sharing site, a user traced the photo to cut a newspaper, saying it was legitimate but taken “around 2012″ and that the creature was actually a boy.

the publication named the Turkish photojournalist, Osman Sağırlı , as the author of the image.

The plight of refugees is reflected in the innocence of children, says Sağırlı. (Photo: BBC)

FROM

Trending BBC spoke to Sağırlı, now working in Tanzania

. The portrait was not a child, he said, but a four year old girl called Hudea and was taken in the refugee camp of Atma, in Syria, in December 2014.

The little girl had come into the camp, which is about 10 kilometers from the border with Turkey , with her mother and two brothers.

There were about 150 miles from home in Hama.

“PETRIFIED”

“I was using a telephoto lens and she thought it was a weapon” , Sağırlı says.

“I realized I was terrified after I saw the picture because he bit his lips and raised his hands. Normally children run away, hide their faces or smile when they see a camera.”

The photographer explains that images of children in camps are particularly revealing.

“You know that people are displaced in camps. It makes more sense to see the suffering not by adults but children. It is they who reflect what you feel about your innocence. “

The image was first published in the newspaper Türkiye in January, where Sağırlı has worked for 25 years covering wars and natural disasters was of his country.

The photo was widely shared in the Turkish social networks at the time.

But was several months before they return viral in the English-speaking world. .

And found last week, a government in the West

Source: BBC