Rights Monitor Syria: Release of Journalist Eva Maria Michelmann Does Not Close the Case; We Demand the Immediate Release of Journalist Ahmet Polad and the Disclosure of the Fate of All Enforced Disappeared Persons
Human Rights and Solidarity Statement
Rights Monitor Syria welcomes the release of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and her return to Germany on June 19, 2026, following a 152-day detention in Syria. However, the platform emphasizes that this step does not close the human rights case associated with her abduction and detention, given the ongoing detention of Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmet Polad (civil name: Mehmet Nizam Aslan) since January 18–19, 2026, amid grave concerns for his physical and psychological well-being and reports of torture and ill-treatment.
The platform asserts that while Michelmann’s release represents a significant outcome of solidarity efforts and international human rights and media pressure, the continued detention of Polad—compounded by the absence of independent information regarding his whereabouts, legal status, and health condition—raises serious concerns of gross human rights violations, including enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention.
Case Background
According to information detailed in the statement issued by the journalists’ families and their legal representatives on June 21, 2026, Michelmann and Polad were working in their professional capacity as journalists in the city of Raqqa, northern Syria, documenting field developments and violations related to ongoing military operations in the region.
The same source indicated that the journalists were legally present in the region and held journalistic work permits before they were detained or abducted during the period between January 18 and 19, 2026. Following months of ambiguity surrounding their fate, a representative from the German Embassy was able to visit Michelmann in a Damascus prison on April 23, 2026. Limited contact with her family was subsequently permitted, culminating in her release on June 19.
Despite Michelmann’s release, Ahmet Polad remains detained without any clear official disclosure regarding his place of detention or legal status, and without allowing his family, lawyers, independent medical professionals, or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to him.
Concerns of Torture and Enforced Disappearance
Information received from Polad’s family and legal representatives points to reports and testimonies indicating that he sustained severe injuries and suffered ill-treatment during detention, alongside an alarming deterioration in his health status.
Furthermore, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described Polad’s situation as amounting to an ongoing enforced disappearance, calling on the Syrian authorities to disclose his legal status, ensure his legal protection, and grant him communication with his family and counsel.
Rights Monitor Syria underscores that depriving a detainee of contact with the outside world for prolonged periods, refusing to disclose their place of detention, or denying them access to legal assistance constitute grave indicators of violations that may amount to enforced disappearance under international human rights law.
A Broader Context of Violations
This case unfolds within a context of increasing international and human rights reports concerning practices of arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance in Syria.
Grounded in the obligations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, Rights Monitor Syria calls for:
The immediate and unconditional release of journalist Ahmet Polad and all arbitrarily detained individuals.
The immediate disclosure of his place of detention, legal status, and health condition.
Guaranteeing unrestricted access to him for his family, lawyers, independent doctors, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Launching an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his detention and the allegations concerning his exposure to torture or ill-treatment.
Protecting journalists and media workers, and ensuring they are not subjected to prosecution or detention due to their professional work.
Disclosing the fate of all enforced disappeared and missing persons in places of detention.
Holding those responsible for any gross human rights violations accountable in accordance with international standards.
Solidarity with Victims and Their Families
Rights Monitor Syria reiterates its solidarity with the family of journalist Ahmet Polad and with all families of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons in Syria. It maintains that while the release of Eva Maria Michelmann is a positive step, it cannot be considered a resolution to the file as long as Ahmet Polad remains detained, and as long as the demands for truth, justice, and accountability remain unfulfilled.
The platform emphasizes that the protection of journalists, the freedom of media work, and the respect for fundamental legal safeguards for detainees constitute non-derogable obligations that must be upheld under all circumstances.
