Relatives of the Ukrainian soldier Taras Didukh, 25, mourn his body at a funeral held in the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul of Lviv, Ukraine, before being buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery on March 11, 2022. The Officer Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39, and the Sergeant Dmytro Kabakov, 58, were also buried on the same day.

Alejandro Martinez Velez, is a freelance photojournalist for Anadolu Agency and Europa Press Agency, currently based in Madrid, Spain. He began his photography training at Lens School of Visual Arts, combining it with his university studies in Political Sciences (Complutense University of Madrid). His work focuses especially on social conflicts, human rights or political issues. He is currently documenting the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people to Europe. His pictures have been exhibited in different cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Istanbul, New York, Moscow, Shanghai, Mexico City, Beirut, Milan, Buenos Aires or Johannesburg.

Let op:  Hij, de heerser, gaat het over vrede hebben,
mooi woord voor deze tijd van het jaar.

Zwijg over vrede
als je je kinderen
het huis uitstuurt
om andere huizen
en hun bewoners
te vernietigen.

Zwijg over je vrede
als je de universiteiten van je land
sluit en andere met propaganda overlaadt.

In die tijd kondigde keizer Augustus een decreet af dat alle inwoners van het rijk zich moesten laten inschrijven. Deze eerste volkstelling vond plaats tijdens het bewind van Quirinius over Syrië. Iedereen ging op weg om zich te laten inschrijven, ieder naar de plaats waar hij vandaan kwam. Terwijl ze daar waren, brak de dag van haar bevalling aan, en ze bracht een zoon ter wereld, haar eerstgeborene. Ze wikkelde Hem in doeken en legde Hem in een voederbak, omdat er voor hen geen plaats was in het gastenverblijf.

As a result of the complex sociopolitical context that some countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan have been undergoing since 2015, the migratory crossing to Europe has increased significantly. Hundreds of thousands of people have left the Asian continent behind crossing in smalls open boats from the Turkish coast to Greece, possibly starting the longest part of their trip due to the extensive closure of the borders.

This photo report documents this exodus once they have touched european soil. To be precise the arrival on Lesbos Island, the Idomeni Camp, where there are approximately 14000 refugees awaiting the opening of the frontier and the failure of thousands of migrants to cross over to Macedonia in March 2016. (Alejandro Martinez Vélez)

At that time, Emperor Augustus issued a decree that all inhabitants of the empire had to be registered. This first census took place during the reign of Quirinius over Syria. Everyone set out to be enrolled, each to the place he came from. While they were there, the day of her delivery arrived, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the guesthouse.

Bezoek de website van fotograaf Alejandro Martinez Vélez

http://www.martinezvelez.com/

https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/1693/alejandro-martinez-velez

Note: He, the ruler, is going to talk about peace,
nice word for this time of year.

Be silent about peace
when you send your children
out of the house
to other houses
and their inhabitants
destroy.

Silence your peace
when you close your country's universities
close down and shower others with propaganda.

Weet je nog de drie koningen?
Ik zie ze in de gestalte
van Poetin, Xi Jinping en Biden
de ster volgen.
Met hun gevolg.
Ook Herodes-met-het-dubbele-gezicht
 speelt zijn rol.
In Gaza kan hij zijn gangen gaan.
En de "vrienden" van de koningen?
Hun misprijzen voor het vrouwelijke
een waarborg voor het stoere.

 «In Rama en Gaza wordt gehuild en geschreeuwd. Moeders huilen om hun kinderen. Ze willen niet dat iemand hen komt troosten, want hun  kinderen zijn er niet meer.» 

Remember. the three kings?
I see them in the stature
of Putin, Xi Jinping and Biden
following the star.
With their entourage.
Herod-with-the-double-face
 plays his part.
In Gaza, he can go his way.
And the "friends" of the kings?
Their disdain for the feminine
a safeguard for the tough.

"In Ramah and Gaza there is weeping and crying. Rachel and Samira crie for their children. They do not want anyone to come and comfort them, because their children are no more."

Wees elkaar
nabij

Be close to each other

"De Hongaarse premier profileert zich meer en meer als dwarsligger als het op Oekraïne aankomt. Half oktober ontmoette ­Orban de Russische president Vladimir Poetin in China om over ‘vrede’ te spreken. Hij dreigt er ook mee om tijdens de Europese top van half december de beslissingen te blokkeren over het opstarten van toetredingsonderhandelingen met Oekraïne en extra budgetsteun aan Kiev. Voor beide beslissingen is unanimiteit nodig."  (De Standaard)

"The Hungarian prime minister is increasingly profiling himself as an obstructionist when it comes to Ukraine. In mid-October, Orban met Russian President Vladimir Putin in China to discuss 'peace'. He is also threatening to block decisions at the European summit in mid-December on launching accession negotiations with Ukraine and additional budget support to Kiev. Both decisions require unanimity."  (De Standaard)