Eva Maria Michelmann, a German journalist detained by Syrian forces during the takeover of Raqqa in January, was released from a Damascus prison on Friday and arrived back in Berlin the same day. Her lawyer said her condition is cautiously described, while her
When the news finally arrived, it didn’t sound like an ending. It sounded like a doorway opening—slow, guarded, and late.
Eva Maria Michelmann, a 36-year-old German journalist whose fate had been unknown for months after her detention in Syria, was released from a prison in Damascus on Friday and arrived back in Berlin the same day, her lawyer, Roland Meister, said in a statement Monday.
“She’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Meister said. He added that his careful phrasing was not a sign that everything was already safe: “this cautious wording is not an all-clear as to the physical and psychological consequences of her detention.”
Michelmann had been detained by Syrian government forces in January during the takeover of Raqqa amid military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces. Her whereabouts remained unknown until the Syrian government confirmed her detention days after the Committee to Protect Journalists. or CPJ. demanded her release in April and international pressure from media and non-governmental organizations increased around the case.
While Michelmann’s return to Berlin brought immediate relief, it also sharpened the urgency around the person who is still missing.
Her colleague, Kurdish-Turkish reporter Ahmet Polad, has not been freed. His whereabouts are still not clear.
“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmet Polad,” Meister said, adding that unrestricted access must be provided to him for doctors, lawyers, and his family.
Michelmann, originally from the western German city of Cologne, has been reporting from Syria since 2022. She and Polad worked for Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency ETHA and Özgür TV, which operates across several cities in Europe, CPJ said.
In his statement, Michelmann’s lawyer thanked the staff of the German foreign ministry and the German embassies in Damascus and Beirut for helping with her release.
Her family, too, framed the news as relief with unfinished business. Michelmann’s brother, Antonius Michelmann, said he was “immensely relieved that my sister is now free.” He said the outcome was only possible “because of the tremendous solidarity shown to Eva and Ahmet and to both our families.”
“It is now high time for Ahmet to be released as well,” Antonius Michelmann added.
Even with Michelmann back in Berlin, the gap between her freedom and Polad’s unknown situation hangs in the air—one person walking out of detention, another still waiting for any confirmed word.
Eva Maria Michelmann Damascus prison Syrian government forces Raqqa takeover Ahmet Polad Committee to Protect Journalists CPJ German journalist Berlin