Syria agrees to deport German journalist after months of detention
The Syrian authorities announced the release of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and her deportation to Germany, after about five months of detention inside Syrian territory, as part of coordination with the German embassy in Damascus.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates clarified that the competent authorities have followed up on Michelmann's case since the verification of her identity and nationality, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, where they provided the necessary consular procedures in accordance with the applicable international standards and conventions.
The ministry said, according to the state-run SANA on Friday night, that the information available to the Syrian government indicates the presence of the German journalist in the areas of northeastern Syria, and that she was accompanied by members of the "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) during the battles in Raqqa province.
Foreign Ministry: Committed to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963
She said she was arrested along with a person she described as a "PKK leader" after she entered Syrian territory illegally and stayed for a long time outside state-controlled areas.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed that it has responded to requests from the German side throughout the period of detention, including allowing consular visits to representatives of the German embassy, conducting the necessary medical examinations, and enabling German diplomats to follow up on her situation, in compliance with the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
The ministry pointed out that the decision to deport Michelmann was based on the approval of the competent Syrian authorities, and in order to strengthen bilateral relations between Syria and Germany.
Michelman works for two Turkish channels
Syria confirmed on May 2 that the 36-year-old German journalist had been detained, after months of uncertainty surrounding her fate since she was cut off from contact on January 18, 2026.
The case of Eva Maria Michelmann dates back to last January, when she disappeared in Raqqa province, before the Syrian authorities later confirmed her arrest, and the German Foreign Ministry had earlier announced that German diplomats were able to visit her inside a Syrian prison as part of the consular follow-up on the case.
According to an official statement issued at the time by the Syrian Ministry of Information, Michelman was arrested along with her fellow Turkish journalist Ahmed Boulad during the military operations carried out by the Syrian government forces in the city of Raqqa after regaining control of it from the Syrian Democratic Forces, confirming that she entered the country illegally and participated alongside the SDF during the military operations in the province.
Human rights sources confirm that Boulad, who worked alongside Michelman for the Aitken news agency and the Özgur TV channel, has not yet been released, while "his place of detention and health status remain unknown."
The Committee to Protect Journalists International (CPJ) designates Oulad among those forcibly disappeared and calls on Damascus to reveal his fate and release him immediately, amid growing calls for clarification of the conditions of his detention and an end to the mystery surrounding the case.