John Wreford

John Wreford is a British freelance photojournalist who lived in Damascus Syria from 2003 until the summer of 2013. With a sense of curiosity and adventure he has explored the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey in search of images and stories; his work has been featured in publications around the globe including the New York Times, Geo Magazine and the Financial Times. Concern for injustice and the dignity of those suffering the consequences of war have resulted in him working with humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations World Food Program and the High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2011 with the onset of the Syrian revolution John made a conscious decision to stay in Damascus although denied permission to work he was able to observe at close hand the decline of peaceful protests into a brutal war. During this time he was placed under investigation by the Syrian security services and denied permission to leave the country until the interrogation was completed, soon after he departed for Istanbul arriving just as the protest were beginning in Gezi Park in the summer of 2013