Journalist Eva Maria Michelmann (37) and her colleague Ahmed Polat, who were following developments in North and East Syria, have been missing since January 18, 2026. Eva Maria Michelmann’s family, lawyers, and press professional organizations held a press conference today at the Alte Feuerwache building in Cologne, making an urgent appeal to the German government and the international community for help.
“Where is Eva?”
Speaking at the press conference, Eva Maria Michelmann’s mother, Rotraut Hake-Michelmann, said that the last date her daughter was seen alive was January 18. “Since that date, we have received no sign of life. As long as we do not have proof, we keep our hope alive, but we are worried about her life. We only want the question ‘Where is Eva?’ to be answered,” she said.
The journalist’s brother, Dr. Antonius Michelmann, also attended the meeting and called on the international public to show sensitivity and asked for support to find the missing journalists.
Separated from 40 civilians and forced into a vehicle
Providing information about the legal process, lawyer Roland Meister stated that the journalists were caught in the middle of clashes in the city of Raqqa. According to the information obtained, on January 18 an agreement was made to evacuate around 40 civilians who had taken shelter in a building during an attack by HTS-ISIS and gangs affiliated with the Turkish state. However, witnesses reported that Eva Maria Michelmann and Polat were separated from the other civilians, forced into a military vehicle, and taken to an unknown location.
Lawyer Meister stated that they had applied to the German Foreign Ministry and demanded that the ministry increase its initiatives with the interim government in Syria. An initiative that includes the German Journalists’ Union (DJU), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Papalbridge Institution, and the Voice of Prisoners Platform continues its work to activate international mechanisms such as the Red Cross and the United Nations.
Who are the missing journalists?
Eva Maria Michelmann had been working for years in Rojava as a social worker and freelance journalist, reporting from the field on women’s rights, social dynamics, and democratic self-administration models. She contributed her reports to platforms such as ETHA and Perspektive Online.
Ahmed Polat was a member of the Rojava Free Press Institution, a journalist who prepared programs for Özgür TV, and at the same time worked as an editor for the Kurdistan Azat News Portal.
The date the journalists disappeared, January 18, 2026, coincides with a period of intense military activity in the region and shifting control along the Raqqa line. The family and lawyers consider the possibility that the journalists may have been targeted because of their professional activities.
No sign of life has been received from Michelmann and Polat since January 18. The family, lawyers, and support platforms continue their efforts to locate the journalists and clarify their fate, and they are calling for support from the international community.
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