Named the best photo of the year by World Press Photo

The prize for the photo of the year was awarded to Ronaldo Schmidt. The picture was taken during a protest rally in the Venezuelan capital.

In the photo, a young man named Jose Salazar Balza was engulfed in flames during clashes with police in Caracas during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro.

Source: WPP

Unrest has been going on in Venezuela for a long time, the reason for which was the announcement by President Maduro of plans to revise the structure of the state system in the country in order to strengthen his power. In response, the opposition organized mass protests, and the first clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces began on May 3, 2017.

One of the participants of the action, Salazar, was engulfed in fire — a motorcycle fuel tank exploded not far from him. The young man survived, having received first and second degree burns.

Photographer Ronaldo Schmidt himself hails from Caracas. In his youth, he studied anthropology at the Central University of Venezuela, but realizing that his passion was photography, he soon moved to Mexico to master a new profession.

Conflict zones and violence among the drug mafia have always fascinated the photographer, who has been working for the French AFP agency for many years. Recently, when Venezuela was overwhelmed by a wave of political protests, he moved back to his homeland to document historical upheavals.