German Journalist Held in Syria Released and Returns Home, Family Says

A German journalist who was detained in Syria has been released and has returned home, her family has confirmed.

Eva Maria Michelmann’s brother told the German news agency dpa that she arrived from Jordan on Friday after being held since her arrest in the Syrian city of Raqqa on January 18.

He said she was doing well considering the circumstances, but had spent a long period in solitary confinement.

The Syrian Ministry of Information previously said Michelmann, who is from Cologne, was arrested during a military operation in Raqqa. A Kurdish journalist and Turkish citizen, Ahmed Polad, was also arrested at the same time, but his whereabouts remain unknown, according to Michelmann’s family.

Michelmann’s family said she had worked as a freelance journalist in Syria since 2002.

Syrian authorities said she was detained during a raid on a building linked to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). They alleged that those inside the building were arrested after fighters barricaded themselves there.

The SDF had controlled Raqqa city and much of the surrounding region from 2017 until January 2026, when control was handed over to Syrian government forces led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

According to Syrian officials, Michelmann initially claimed she was a Spanish citizen working for a United Nations-affiliated organisation. After an investigation, authorities said they discovered she was a German journalist.

German media outlet Der Spiegel reported that the German embassy in Damascus provided consular assistance and worked with the embassy in Beirut to push for her release.

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