German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who disappeared earlier this year while reporting on the remnants of more than a decade of civil war in Syria, returned to Germany on Friday, her lawyer said.
“It can be confirmed that Eva M. Michelmann was released this morning and returned to Germany this afternoon,” her lawyer Roland Meister told the AFP news agency. He made similar comments on other outlets.
What else do we know about Michaelman’s return?
Her brother Antonius Michelmann later told the German DPA news agency that “we went to pick her up,” as she returned to Germany via Jordan.
She said she is doing well considering the circumstances.
He said he was kept in solitary confinement for a long time, but did not provide further details.
What happened to Michaelman?
Michelman went missing in January this year during an offensive by Syrian government forces against Kurdish fighters in the northeast. His colleague, Turkish-Kurdish journalist Ahmed Polad, disappeared at the same time.
Antonius Michelman said that Polad still has not been located.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)They both worked for the Istanbul-based Socialist Atkin News Agency (ETHA) and Ozgur TV channel.
For months it was not entirely clear what happened to them.
The German Foreign Ministry said last week that it was working at the highest level to secure Michelmann’s release.
It was not clear why the reporter from the western city of Cologne was detained or whether she was charged with a crime.
Who is running Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad?
The West has widely welcomed the new Syrian government led by former Islamist militant group leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, which has promised to turn over a new, inclusive leaf after coming to power in Damascus.
But religious and ethnic minorities in Syria, including Kurds, have expressed concerns about the new Sunni regime, which ousted longtime dictator Bashar Assad in December 2024.
Along with military clashes with Kurdish forces and reports of violence against Alawites and Druze, more mundane changes such as a ban on the sale of alcohol in Damascus have also prompted criticism and protests.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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