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By Moutaz Ali,
Tripoli, 29 April 2017:
Agence France Presse photographer Abdullah Doma has been chosen as Man of the Year in Libya only weeks after he was arrested and then released in Benghazi.
Shahat Forum for Media and Culture announced the news yesterday in celebration of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May.
Doma, while speaking to the Libya Herald, said he was truly appreciative of the award. He called on all Libyan media professionals to stay united.
“All of us need each another because we are working in a very dangerous area. So, as journalists, we have to learn that our concerns are common,” he said.
Doma is well known among journalists due to his work on the Benghazi frontline. His pictures have won him a variety of awards in a number of international media events. When asked on his photography philosophy he said: “Beauty lies in the simplicity, that is what it is all about.”
Doma was arrested and questioned twice this month by the security forces in Benghazi over his coverage of an event celebrating Earth Hour. There have been reports, however, that he was already being watched by the authorities before the controversial event.
Born in 1982 in Benghazi, he survived an assassination attempt in 2014 by extremists in the city.
