Missing German journalist likely detained in Aleppo prison – Family lawyer
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – A German journalist missing in Syria for three months is believed to be held in a prison in Aleppo, family’s lawyer said on Tuesday.
Frank Jasenski told German news agency dpa that “credible reports” indicate reporter Eva Maria Michelmann is detained in the northwestern Syrian city after she was allegedly wounded during a Syrian Army offensive.
“Until now, we only knew that she had fallen into the hands of the Syrian security forces and where that had happened,” Jasenski said, noting he represents the journalist’s mother and brother.
Family inquiries and legal follow-up suggest Michelmann was arrested on Jan. 18 alongside a Kurdish colleague named Ahmed Polad by forces affiliated with the Syrian transitional government. The two were reportedly taken away in a vehicle while seeking shelter in a youth center.
Michelmann is said to have worked in Syria for more than a year as a freelance journalist.
According to the lawyer, detainees recently released from an Aleppo prison reported seeing the Kurdish journalist inside the facility.
“It is a kind of open secret in the prison that a German journalist is also being held there,” Jasenski said, citing eyewitness testimonies.
He added that the information was immediately shared with the German Federal Foreign Office, urging Berlin to press Syrian authorities for the journalist’s release after what he described as “the first sign of life after months of uncertainty.”
“The Foreign Office now has the opportunity to demand access to her from the Syrian authorities,” Jasenski said.
In response to a dpa inquiry, the Foreign Office said it is “continuing to work flat out to clarify the situation.” Officials added that German embassies in Beirut and Damascus are investigating the case and contacting sources who may have information about her whereabouts.