German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann was arrested by Syrian authorities on January 18, 2026, alongside Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad, during the takeover of the northeastern city of Raqqa amid government military operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Michelmann was released on June 19, 2026, after five months in detention.
CPJ first reported the journalists missing, with Syrian authorities initially saying they had no information on their whereabouts.
The pair, 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 witnesses cited by ETHA.
Toni Michelmann, the German journalist’s brother, also said she was detained “by forces of the Syrian transitional government,” telling CPJ in March that “there has been no sign of life from her” since.
After months of uncertainty, on April 27, CPJ learned that Michelmann was being held in a detention facility in Damascus. According to her lawyer, Roland Meister, a German government representative visited her on April 23. A source from Germany’s Federal Foreign Office told CPJ: “following intensive and high-level efforts through various channels, we gained direct access to Ms. Michelmann last Thursday and will now continue to provide her with consular assistance.”
Authorities have reportedly initiated criminal proceedings against her, though the legal basis, charges, and responsible authority remain unclear.
On the morning of June 19, 2026, Michelmann was released from prison in Damascus, her lawyer Roland Meister told CPJ. Accompanied by a representative of the German Embassy, she flew to Amman, where she was met by family members and friends, before continuing to Berlin later that day. Meister said that Michelmann “is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” but cautioned that it is too early to assess the full physical and psychological impact of her detention.
On June 20, Syria's Foreign Ministry said it had coordinated with German authorities and the German Embassy in Damascus regarding Michelmann's case and had approved Germany's request to repatriate her. In a statement carried by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, the ministry alleged that Michelmann had been present in northeastern Syria alongside members of the SDF during military operations in Raqqa and said she had been detained after entering Syria illegally and remaining outside areas under government control. CPJ was unable to independently verify these claims.
On April 30, the Syrian Ministry of Information told CPJ that Michelmann and Polad were being held by the Interior Ministry, saying they were arrested during security sweeps of a building in Raqqa affiliated with the SDF after clashes in the area. The ministry said the two were identified as foreign nationals during the operation and alleged that Michelmann initially claimed to be a Spanish national working with a United Nations-affiliated organization, which was later denied upon verification with the UN.
The ministry added that Michelmann did not have documentation showing she was on assignment and said both she and Polad attempted to escape while in custody.
According to two of Polad’s colleagues, the journalist remains imprisoned in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
Arzu Demir, a journalist and member of ETHA’s editorial board who also produces a program for Özgür TV, told CPJ: “Maria had been sending news reports to our agency from Rojava for about four years. For security reasons, we published her reports anonymously.”