The Firat News Agency (ANF) wrote on March 1, 2026
There has been no trace of journalists Eva Maria Michelmann and Ahmet Polad, who last reported from Raqqa, since January 18. Media organizations hold Damascus responsible for their disappearance and are demanding immediate clarification.
Journalists Eva Maria Michelmann and Ahmet Polad have been missing since January 18. According to a statement released on Sunday by the Free Media Association in Rojava (YRA), contact with the two was lost on the morning of that day while they were reporting on military developments in Raqqa. Since then, there has been no reliable information about their whereabouts.
Eva Maria Michelmann, born in 1989, had been working in Rojava and northeastern Syria since 2022. Among other things, she reported for the left-wing news agency ETHA, based in the western Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, and for Özgür TV on attacks on cities and villages and on social developments in the context of the Rojava revolution. Ahmed Polad is an author at Kurdistana Azad and a presenter at Özgür TV.
Last seen in a besieged building in Raqqa
According to YRA, Michelmann and Polad were last seen together with around 40 civilians in a building that was under siege during attacks by Syrian troops and various Islamist militias on the Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD). Polad had sent video recordings from inside the house to ETHA and Özgür TV. In them, he reported on massive fighting, activated sleeper cells of the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS), and ongoing shelling.
As the fighting intensified, those trapped inside tried to defend the building against the attackers. On the evening of January 17, the building was completely surrounded by heavily armed mercenaries. Fighting broke out inside. According to ETHA, the attackers entered the ground floor and continued their attacks. Contact with the journalists was eventually lost due to power and internet outages.
Separated from the convoy
After mediation efforts and negotiations, an evacuation in groups is said to have taken place. Some of the civilians reached the al-Aqtan prison near Raqqa, accompanied by QSD units. However, it later emerged that Polad and Michelmann were not among those who arrived there. People from a convoy who later reached Kobanê said that militiamen had put the two journalists in a vehicle after they left the building. They have not been seen since.
It remains unclear whether Michelmann and Polad were captured by Syrian government forces, handed over to the Turkish secret service, or killed. However, the Kurdish journalists’ association Dicle Firat (DFG), based in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır), emphasized in its own statement that there are indications that soldiers or mercenaries of the Damascus transitional government may have detained the two journalists.
Associations demand immediate release
Both the DFG and the YRA, of which Ahmed Polad is a member, are demanding the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of both media workers and their unconditional release. Under international law, journalists enjoy special protection even in armed conflicts. The violent disappearance or abduction of press representatives constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Hundreds of people missing
In Raqqa and other regions from which the QSD had to withdraw in January as a result of the military aggression against the self-administration, including Deir ez-Zor, Tabqa, and Dair Hafir, hundreds of civilians and fighters are still missing. In addition, there are reports that armed groups with close ties to the Turkish state have handed over prisoners to the MIT intelligence service. In the wake of the ceasefire and integration agreement of January 29, the QSD held several talks with Damascus about prisoners and the handover of bodies. According to ETHA, the names of the two journalists were also discussed during these talks. So far, there have been no concrete results.
