Germany – Die Zeit, June 19, 2026
Eva Maria Michelmann has returned to Germany after a long period of imprisonment in Syria. Her family is relieved but criticizes the lack of action taken by German politicians.
Eva Maria Michelmann, a resident of Cologne, has been released from Syrian custody. This was confirmed to ZEIT by her lawyer, Roland Meister. Previously, publications including Der Spiegel and the AFP news agency had reported on Michelmann’s release.
Michelmann was released on Friday morning and returned to Germany via Jordan that afternoon, Meister said. She was met at Amman airport by several family members. The lawyer also sees her release as “a success of the solidarity and efforts of international human rights organizations and journalists.” Michelmann is doing well “under the circumstances.”
According to the German Foreign Office, the German government had been working “at full speed” to secure the woman’s release. Michelmann was arrested in January during an offensive by Syrian government forces and allied Islamist militias in the city of Raqqa . Since 2022, she had been reporting on the political situation for pro-Kurdish media from the Democratic Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria, also known by its Kurdish name, Rojava.
Michelmann was considered missing for months.
Michelmann’s family and German authorities initially learned nothing of her arrest; for months she was considered missing. The Syrian interim government initially denied holding Michelmann. Only witness statements from former fighters of the pro-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) , who were released after a prisoner exchange on April 11, confirmed the whereabouts of Michelmann and her Turkish-Kurdish colleague Ahmet Polad. The two had been traveling together. In early May, the Syrian government confirmed the arrest. Polad remains missing to this day.
