The death of Syrian press photographer and media activist Hamoud Juneid has received significantly less attention than that of his colleague Raed Fares, who was killed in the same attack. Hamoud was, however, a dedicated man who spent years risking his life in the non-violent opposition movement. As an employee of the country’s first independent media outlet, he represented enough of a threat to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch) to have been detained by them at least once.

Hamoud worked in the town of Kafranbel, Syria, widely regarded as the creative centre and conscience of the revolution against Bashir al-Assad, and ran in the same circles as respected journalists including Hadi al-Abdullah and Alaa Nassar. His colleague Raed described their work in the Washington Post:

The Syrian conflict escalated in part because terrorists are winning an ideological battle for Syria’s soul. The people in villages like Kefranbel, especially the children, have been living in an environment of war, hate, violence and scenes of bloodshed for more than six years. In the absence of peaceful, democratic political voices, terrorists have been able to convince Syria’s vulnerable youth that violence and destruction can somehow pave the way to stability. Civil society groups and independent media are working tirelessly to oppose these messages – in ways that resonate with local audiences. Syria’s democratic future relies on our success.

Hamoud and Raed were killed after morning prayers on 23 November 2018 when unidentified assailants fired on them from a van before escaping. Hamoud died quickly, unlike Raed, who survived long enough to be taken to hospital.

The picture below is of Hamoud, Raed and Khaled al-Issa, a colleague killed in 2016.