German journalist details Syria detention

German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann was detained for five months in Syria and released on June 19, 2026. Her colleague, Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad, remains in custody with no recent official information available.

Michelmann and Polad were detained on January 18, 2026, while reporting from Raqqa as Syrian government forces advanced. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Michelmann was interrogated, accused of ties to Kurdish armed groups, and denied access to a lawyer and the outside world. She reported being held alongside women bearing signs of what she described as torture.

Official Disputes and Unanswered Questions

Omar Haj Ahmed, director general of press affairs at Syria’s Ministry of Information, disputed parts of Michelmann's account in a statement to CPJ. He denied she was held in Idlib or Damascus facilities apart from a transfer day, and alleged Syrian authorities identified her as affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). He said she lacked documents proving she was a journalist, claims CPJ could not independently verify.

Regarding Polad, Haj Ahmed said he had not identified himself as a journalist when detained and that Syrian authorities were in contact with the Turkish Consulate. He said Polad would be released but provided no timeline. CPJ's requests for comment from the Syrian Interior Ministry and multiple Turkish authorities went unanswered.

The Arrest and Interrogation

In an interview with CPJ, Michelmann recounted seeking shelter in a Raqqa youth center as forces advanced. She said forces under Muhammad Abdul Ghani entered the building and later identified themselves as police. She and Polad were taken to Aleppo for interrogation.

"Early on January 19, we were taken to the headquarters of the Internal Security Command in Aleppo," Michelmann said. She described being interrogated by an official named Mohammed Shabib, who repeatedly asked if they worked with the SDF, insisting the group were terrorists. Her request to contact the German embassy was denied, and she was told a month later that Germany had not responded to a letter she wrote.

Michelmann stated the interrogators later suggested she was being held because they considered it possible she worked with the Kurdistan Workers' Party. She began refusing to make statements after being denied legal access and contact with her embassy. No clear legal basis for her detention was presented to her.

Conditions and Alleged Abuse

Michelmann was held in six locations in Aleppo, Idlib, and Damascus. She described severely overcrowded conditions, including one cell where fifteen women shared about 16 square meters with a toilet that also served as a shower. Another location had no beds and an overcrowded tiled floor.

While avoiding detailed discussion of her own treatment, she reported witnessing systemic abuse. "Torture involving beatings and electricity is routine and widespread," she stated. She met women with burns from electric shocks, broken legs, and those who had been suspended and beaten. She said many confessed falsely to stop the torture.

Plea for Colleague's Release

Michelmann expressed grave concern for Ahmed Polad, from whom she was separated days after their abduction. She learned after her release that he was last seen with injuries to his abdomen and hand, which were not present when she last saw him.

She said Polad had feared for his life if held by Syrian forces or extradited to Turkey due to his identity as a left-wing Kurdish journalist. "Preventing Ahmed’s lawyer from having any contact with him is an open violation of internationally recognized human rights," Michelmann argued. She called for pressure on Syrian and Turkish governments to disclose his whereabouts and health, and urged Germany to grant him humanitarian protection. She believes sustained international pressure is essential to secure his release.