Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad has been missing since January 18, when the northeastern Syrian city of Raqqa fell to government forces during an offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. He was with his colleague, German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who is also missing, according to their employers and relatives.
The two journalists, who worked for Istanbul-based socialist Etkin News Agency (ETHA) and Özgür TV, which operates across several cities in Europe, were last seen leaving a building affiliated with Kurdish authorities with civilians fleeing the city, when they were separated from the crowd and placed “in a separate vehicle” belonging to Syrian government forces, according to ETHA.
Serpil Arslan, editor-in-chief of Özgür TV, told CPJ that Polad, who worked as a program producer and reporter while contributing to ETHA, went to Raqqa to cover the fighting in the city, and went missing as the SDF withdrew from the areas and agreed to integrate their forces into Syrian state institutions, allowing Damascus to re-establish control over the city and surrounding areas.
“He attempted to go live, but as the clashes intensified this was not possible. Instead, he sent us video footage,” Arslan said, adding that a few hours later the journalist reported that the building he was in with civilians had been surrounded before communication was cut off.
Arzu Demir, a journalist and member of ETHA’s editorial board who also produces a program for Özgür TV, told CPJ: “There is a witness statement claiming they were separated from the other people who were under siege in Raqqa and placed into another vehicle,” she added.
When contacted by messaging app for comment, Omar Haj Ahmed, director general of press affairs at the Syrian Ministry of Information, told CPJ that “the ministry does not have any information about the incident or the individuals, and no one has submitted any request or taken any formal action.” Morhaf al-Hussein, director of the Raqqa Governorate Media Directorate, also told CPJ by WhatsApp, he was following up on the case.