On March 25, the three Members of the European Parliament—Per Clausen, Hanne Gedin, and Jonas Sjöstedt—submitted a written question to the European External Action Service. The inquiry is addressed to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. They are inquiring about the abduction of the two journalists Eva Maria Michelmann and Ahmet Polad.

Furthermore, they emphasize that the case highlights the abduction of thousands of civilians who were detained during the STG’s military operation in northeastern Syria.

The EEAS describes its mission as follows: The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the European Union’s diplomatic service. Since 2011, the EEAS has been implementing the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy to promote peace, prosperity, security, and the interests of Europeans worldwide.

The following questions were posed to the EEAS:

1 How—if at all—have EU representatives raised this urgent matter with the Syrian Transitional Government?

2 What new actions does the EEAS intend to take in this case to obtain information about the two journalists and ensure their release—and when will such action be taken?

3 What steps is the EEAS taking to ensure the safety of independent reporting from Syria, including by European journalists?