Washington D.C, – ANF News, May 31, 2026
More than 130 days after the abduction of Eva Maria Michelmann and Ahmet Polad in Syria, concerns about their health are growing. Their families accuse the German government of not doing enough to secure their release.
More than four months after German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and her colleague Ahmet Polad (Mehmet Nizam Aslan) were abducted and imprisoned by the Syrian transitional government, their relatives have renewed their call for their immediate release. At a press conference in Berlin, family members expressed serious concern about the health of the two journalists and criticized the German government’s handling of the case.
The press conference, moderated by Avîn Hummitzsch of the Rojava solidarity initiative “People’s Bridge,” was held following a meeting with the German Foreign Office. According to the families and their lawyer, Roland Meister, there is still no reliable information about the detention conditions of the two journalists. Their exact whereabouts also remain unknown.
Serious allegations regarding detention conditions
Attorney Meister expressed particular concern about reports regarding the condition of the detainees. According to him, statements from a Syrian journalist indicate that Eva Maria Michelmann may have been subjected to systematic interrogation and torture during her detention. Witness testimony reportedly suggests that Ahmet Polad has suffered serious injuries.
