{"id":137234,"date":"2026-04-28T06:34:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T06:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=137234"},"modified":"2026-04-28T06:34:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T06:34:54","slug":"cpj-urges-syria-to-clarify-fate-of-detained-german-kurdish-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/","title":{"rendered":"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent information about the detention of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and to clarify the whereabouts of Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad, amid reports they are being held in Syrian government facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CPJ said Michelmann\u2019s family and the German government have confirmed she is in Syrian custody, despite officials telling the organization they had no knowledge of her detention. The two journalists worked for Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency (ETHA) and \u00d6zg\u00fcr TV, which operates across several European cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were last seen on Jan. 18, 2026, when witnesses reported they were forced into a Syrian government vehicle during the takeover of Raqqa amid military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Michelmann\u2019s lawyer, Roland Meister, a representative of the German government visited her at a detention facility in Damascus on April 23, months after her family had no information about her fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A source from Germany\u2019s Federal Foreign Office <a href=\"https:\/\/cpj.org\/2026\/04\/cpj-demands-transparency-as-german-reporter-confirmed-detained-in-syria\/\">told CPJ<\/a> that \u201cfollowing 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authorities have reportedly initiated criminal proceedings, but the legal basis, charges, and responsible authority remain unclear.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meister and Avin Ibrahim, co-chair of the Free Media Union in northeast Syria, said they received information that Polad is being held in a detention facility in the northwestern city of Aleppo. A released SDF fighter said he shared a cell with Polad, who had been injured and received medical treatment but was last seen in stable condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Syrian government\u2019s lack of transparency regarding the detention and whereabouts of journalists Eva Maria Michelmann and Ahmed Polad is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about press freedom in Syria,\u201d said Joud Hasan, CPJ\u2019s Levant Program Coordinator. \u201cAuthorities must immediately clarify their legal status, ensure their safety, and grant them access to legal counsel and family members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CPJ noted that it contacted officials at the Ministry of Information and the Aleppo governor\u2019s office, who said they had no information about the case. The organization also emailed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and reached out to the Ministry of Interior, but had not received a response at the time of publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>By Jwan Shekaki<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent information about the detention of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and to clarify the whereabouts of Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad, amid reports they are being held in Syrian government facilities. CPJ said Michelmann\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":137235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-middle-east"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North press agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NPA.SYR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-28T06:34:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-28T06:34:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"430\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"semav1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@NPA_English\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@NPA_English\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"semav1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"semav1\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1cc380944b76ba86440ef8ad099f16a0\"},\"headline\":\"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T06:34:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-28T06:34:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":406,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"HOME\",\"MIDDLE EAST\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/\",\"name\":\"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T06:34:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-28T06:34:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp\",\"width\":750,\"height\":430,\"caption\":\"German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann who went missing in Raqqa, northern Syria, on Jan. 18, 2026. \u2013 CPJ\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/137234\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"North press agency\",\"description\":\"North press agency\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"North press agency\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/npasyria.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/npasyria.jpg\",\"width\":682,\"height\":388,\"caption\":\"North press agency\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/NPA.SYR\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/NPA_English\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/northpressagency\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCyGMim0bdq_6W-ryV9WI29A\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1cc380944b76ba86440ef8ad099f16a0\",\"name\":\"semav1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4dd32221f0f6234b81e7d16b824fc92b9c1a8794a5fa04024fb4ddedd3a61599?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4dd32221f0f6234b81e7d16b824fc92b9c1a8794a5fa04024fb4ddedd3a61599?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4dd32221f0f6234b81e7d16b824fc92b9c1a8794a5fa04024fb4ddedd3a61599?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"semav1\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/npasyria.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/semav1\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists","description":"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists","og_description":"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent","og_url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/","og_site_name":"North press agency","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NPA.SYR\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-28T06:34:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-28T06:34:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":430,"url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"semav1","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@NPA_English","twitter_site":"@NPA_English","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"semav1","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/"},"author":{"name":"semav1","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/1cc380944b76ba86440ef8ad099f16a0"},"headline":"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists","datePublished":"2026-04-28T06:34:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-28T06:34:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/"},"wordCount":406,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp","articleSection":["HOME","MIDDLE EAST"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/","url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/","name":"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-28T06:34:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-28T06:34:54+00:00","description":"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-1776785889.jpg-750x430-1.webp","width":750,"height":430,"caption":"German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann who went missing in Raqqa, northern Syria, on Jan. 18, 2026. \u2013 CPJ"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/137234\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CPJ urges Syria to clarify fate of detained German, Kurdish journalists"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/","name":"North press agency","description":"North press agency","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#organization","name":"North press agency","url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/npasyria.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/npasyria.jpg","width":682,"height":388,"caption":"North press agency"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NPA.SYR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/NPA_English","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/northpressagency\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCyGMim0bdq_6W-ryV9WI29A"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/1cc380944b76ba86440ef8ad099f16a0","name":"semav1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32221f0f6234b81e7d16b824fc92b9c1a8794a5fa04024fb4ddedd3a61599?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32221f0f6234b81e7d16b824fc92b9c1a8794a5fa04024fb4ddedd3a61599?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32221f0f6234b81e7d16b824fc92b9c1a8794a5fa04024fb4ddedd3a61599?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"semav1"},"url":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/author\/semav1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137234"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137236,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137234\/revisions\/137236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}