German Journalist Detained in Syria Back Home, Lawyer Says
Her lawyer said she was released after months in detention, and German officials had made high-level efforts to secure her return.
- On Friday, German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann returned to Germany after being released from detention in Syria, her lawyer Roland Meister confirmed to AFP.
- In January, government troops took Michelmann and colleague Ahmed Polad in a vehicle in Raqqa during a Syrian government offensive in the northeast where both worked for the Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency and Ozgur TV.
- Lawyer Roland Meister reported Michelmann was "tortured and subjected to constant interrogation, including at night" and had "lost a lot of weight," while the German Foreign Ministry secured her release through "intensive representations" at a "high level."
- While Michelmann returned home, the status of colleague Ahmed Polad remains unconfirmed; the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned "the Syrian government's lack of transparency regarding the detention and whereabouts" as "unacceptable."
- Persistent risks face media workers covering the Syrian conflict, as detention charges against Michelmann and Polad remain unexplained, highlighting the lack of due process and opaque detention practices that threaten foreign correspondents.
23 Articles
23 Articles
The German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who was arrested in Syria, has been released.
German journalist held in Syria back home: lawyer
German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who went missing in Syria in January and was later confirmed to be detained there, returned to Germany on Friday, her lawyer told AFP. "It can be confirmed that Eva M. Michelmann was released this morning and returned to Germany this afternoon," Roland Meister said. Michelmann was able to leave Syria via a third country and, from there, board a flight to Germany, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazi…
The Cologne journalist Michelmann, who has been imprisoned in Syria for several months, has now landed in Germany. She had reported for years for Kurdish media from northern Syria. Alexa Schulz.
Eva Maria Michelmann is back in Germany after long imprisonment in Syria. Her family is relieved, but criticizes the lack of commitment of German politicians.
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