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A Syrian in Paris - Jafar's story

by Liz Mermin\ Tristan Martin

As 2015 draws to a close we are republishing some of our best documentaries of the year.

Jafar, the 25 year-old son of a Syrian political exile, grew up hearing stories about Syria from his parents. They were living in Morocco but the family always thought of Syria as home.

When violence broke out in Syria in 2011, Jafar wanted to help those opposing the government. He stopped his college studies in mathematics and moved to Turkey with his mother and sisters.

He went into Syria twice to work as a translator and provide humanitarian assistance, before his passport expired and he was left stateless. He set out across Europe alone to seek asylum in France.

Now Jafar is waiting to receive confirmation of his asylum status so he can resume his studies. He spends most of his time following the conflict in Syria on social media and trying to stay involved from afar.

We spent a day filming with Jafar in June 2015 for our series on Syrian refugees in Europe.

More than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict in Syria began. Fewer than 150,000 have been granted asylum in Europe.

More in this series

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