BERLIN (AP) — A German journalist whose fate was unknown for months after she was detained in Syria has been released, her lawyer said Monday.Eva Maria Michelmann was released from a prison in Damascus on Friday and arrived back in Berlin the same day, the lawyer, Roland Meister, said in a statement. “She’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Meister said, adding that “this cautious wording is not an all-clear as to the physical and psychological consequences of her detention.”The 36-year-old reporter and a Kurdish-Turkish colleague were detained by Syrian government forces in January during the takeover of Raqqa amid military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces.Michelmann’s whereabouts were unknown until the Syrian government confirmed her detention days after the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, demanded her release in April and international pressure by media and NGOs increased around her release.
Her colleague, Kurdish-Turkish reporter Ahmet Polad, has not been freed and his whereabouts are still not clear.“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmet Polad,” said Meister, adding that unrestricted access to him must be provided for doctors, lawyers and his family.
