Recent data has revealed new developments regarding the disappearance of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who has been missing for approximately three months in northeastern Syria. According to the German Press Agency (DPA), there are increasing indications that she is being held in a prison in the city of Aleppo.
German lawyer Frank Jasinski, representing Michelmann’s mother and brother, stated that new leads regarding her whereabouts have emerged. He explained, “Until now, we only knew that she had fallen into the hands of Syrian security forces and where that occurred,” adding: “There are now reliable reports indicating that Michelmann was likely transferred to a prison in Aleppo and remains detained there today.”
According to research conducted by the family and their lawyer, Michelmann was arrested on January 18, 2026, alongside a colleague while they were in the city of Raqqa. They were reportedly taken in a vehicle belonging to forces linked to the Syrian Transitional Government while seeking shelter inside a youth center.
Jasinski noted that witnesses—prisoners who were later released—recognized the Kurdish journalist arrested with Michelmann inside an Aleppo prison. He added, “It is an open secret in that prison that a German journalist is also being held,” emphasizing that the family assumes the person in question is Michelmann.
The lawyer confirmed that the German Foreign Office was immediately informed of this information. He argued that the emergence of “the first sign of life after months of uncertainty” necessitates urgent action from Berlin. “The Foreign Office now has the possibility to demand that the Syrian authorities grant them access to her,” he stated.
For their part, government circles in Damascus confirmed they are “investigating the case and will inform the German government of the details.” Meanwhile, the German Foreign Office clarified it is “still working at full speed to clarify the situation,” noting that its embassies in Beirut and Damascus are following the file and conducting contacts with parties that may possess information regarding the journalist’s location.
In a related context, an eyewitness named Jiwan Mohammed provided a detailed account of Michelmann’s arrest during an interview with Rudaw Media Network on April 20, 2026. He revealed that she was in Raqqa on January 18, accompanied by Turkish journalist Ahmet Polat.
He explained that Michelmann and Polat were guests at a Revolutionary Youth headquarters on Saif al-Dawla Street when violent clashes broke out in the vicinity. He stressed that they “were filming the events and did not participate in the fighting.”
He added that Arab forces besieged the site before Syrian government security forces intervened the following day. He noted that upon entering, “they saw Eva Maria first and arrested her,” pointing out that the arrest was not directly violent but occurred “normally with some arguing.”
The witness stated that Michelmann did not have a phone and spoke with difficulty, adding that information they later obtained indicated she had been transferred to a prison in Aleppo. He also noted that the official who led the operation was Abdul Aziz Mohammed Abdul Ghani, the Director of Public Security in Aleppo, who supervised her arrest along with her colleague.
Michelmann disappeared in mid-January 2026, coinciding with a Syrian army offensive on areas controlled by Kurdish forces in the northeast of the country. She was last seen in the city of Raqqa.
Multiple sources reported that the German journalist and her colleague were among civilians who took refuge in a building that was later besieged, before being transported in a government vehicle. Since then, all contact has been lost. Kurdish sources suggested that an armed group allied with the Syrian government may have carried out the arrest, also confirming that Michelmann is currently in Aleppo.
Michelmann’s disappearance has sparked widespread reactions in Germany, with mounting demands to uncover her fate. Her case gained prominence during International Women’s Day events on March 8, featuring slogans such as “Where is Eva?” and “No March 8 without Eva!”
Several international bodies have become involved in monitoring the case, including the German Journalists’ Union (dju), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the Verdi union.
In this context, the German Foreign Office confirmed it has notified official entities in the Middle East and published information and a photo of the journalist to assist in locating her, while the International Red Cross has conducted field contacts with parties in the region.
Despite these efforts, official information regarding the fate of Michelmann and her colleague remains limited, while unofficial indicators suggesting their detention within Syrian territory continue to grow.
Background on the Journalist
Eva Maria Michelmann, born in 1989 in Cologne, is a freelance journalist who worked on covering human rights and women’s issues, with a particular interest in the Kurdish cause. Alongside her journalistic work, she also worked as a social worker.
Her brother, Antonius Michelmann, said: “My sister worked for years as a freelance journalist defending victims of racism and fascism. She traveled to Kurdish regions out of interest in the development of self-administration, especially the struggle of Kurdish women for their rights,” noting that there are “hundreds of people missing in addition to my sister.”
Source: Agencies
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