{"id":138498,"date":"2026-06-20T06:03:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T06:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=138498"},"modified":"2026-06-20T06:09:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T06:09:57","slug":"german-journalist-detained-in-syria-backs-home-after-months-in-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/138498\/","title":{"rendered":"German journalist detained in Syria returns home after months in custody"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013<\/strong> German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann on Friday returned to Germany after spending nearly five months in detention in Syria, according to her lawyer and German media reports, in a case that drew criticism from press freedom groups and renewed concern over the fate of her Kurdish-Turkish colleague, who remains missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michelmann, 36, arrived in Germany from Jordan on Friday, her brother confirmed to German news agency dpa, saying she was in relatively good condition despite having spent a prolonged period in solitary confinement. Her lawyer, Roland Meister, also confirmed her release, while no details were immediately provided on the circumstances of her handover or whether any charges had been dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michelmann disappeared on January 18 during military operations in Raqqa, where she and Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad were reportedly detained by forces affiliated with the Syrian transitional governemnt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, Syrian officials acknowledged that both journalists had been taken into custody, saying they were arrested during the government\u2019s takeover of Raqqa from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case triggered mounting international pressure over the past months. <a href=\"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/136136\/\">The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged<\/a> Syrian authorities to clarify Michelmann\u2019s legal status and release both journalists, while the German Foreign Office said it had secured direct consular access to her in April after weeks of diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michelmann had worked in Syria for several years, reportedly covering developments in the Kurdish Autonomous Administration areas for ETHA and \u00d6zg\u00fcr TV. Her detention came amid heightened scrutiny of journalists operating in northeast Syria following shifts in territorial control and the political transition that followed the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.<\/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 German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann on Friday returned to Germany after spending nearly five months in detention in Syria, according to her lawyer and German media reports, in a case that drew criticism from press freedom groups and renewed concern over the fate of her Kurdish-Turkish colleague, who remains missing. [&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-138498","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>German journalist detained in Syria returns home after months in custody<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann on Friday returned to Germany after spending nearly five months in detention in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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