Committee to Protect Journalists calls for release of missing German journalist in Syria

BERLIN (AP) — A German journalist who went missing in Syria more than three months ago is likely detained in a prison in Damascus, a lawyer for her said Tuesday, as international calls and pressure for her release mounted.

“We assume that her health is very, very poor and we demand her immediate release,” said Frank Jasenski, the lawyer representing Eva Maria Michelmann and her family in Germany.

Michelmann, 36, was last seen on Jan. 18, when she and a Kurdish-Turkish colleague were supposedly detained by Syrian government forces during the takeover of Raqqa amid military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, said.

Michelmann, who is originally from the western German city of Cologne, had been reporting from Syria since 2022. Until recently, her family in Germany had no information on where she was or how she was doing following her apparent detention.

The CPJ called on Syrian authorities to “provide immediate and transparent information” on the detention of Michelmann and her Kurdish-Turkish colleague, Ahmed Polad, who is supposedly also being held in a Syrian detention facility.

“The Syrian government’s lack of transparency regarding the detention and whereabouts" of the two reporters "is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about press freedom in Syria,” Joud Hasan, CPJ’s Levant Program Coordinator, said in a statement Monday.

“Authorities must immediately clarify their legal status, ensure their safety and grant them access to legal counsel and family members," he added.

The Berlin-based Kurdish human rights organization HAWAR.help also called for Michelmann's release and demanded that she get independent medical and legal support in prison.

The two journalists worked for Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency ETHA and Özgür TV, which operates across several cities in Europe, CPJ said.

On Friday, the German foreign ministry said it had been in touch with the detained journalist.

“Following intensive and high-level efforts through various channels, we did indeed gain direct access to Ms. Michelmann,” on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Josef Hinterseher told reporters in Berlin.

The ministry did not give any details about her health condition or where exactly she is, citing privacy rules.

An AP request to the Syrian information ministry on Monday for details on the whereabouts of Michelmann and the allegations against her was not immediately answered.

According to the CPJ, Syrian authorities have reportedly initiated criminal proceedings, though the legal basis, charges and responsible authority remain unclear.

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Associated Press reporter Abby Sewell contributed reporting from Beirut.