Journalist Ahmed Polad, a correspondent for the Etkin Haber Agency (ETHA) and Özgür TV, was detained on 18 January 2026 while covering the news in Raqqa, Syria, and has now been unlawfully held for more than 200 days. German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who was detained while covering the news alongside him, was released on 19 June. Despite prisoner exchanges taking place between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), journalist Ahmed Polad remains deprived of his freedom.
Polad was separated from the civilian population and detained while covering the evacuation of civilians in Raqqa. For a long time, there were attempts to make his case disappear and conceal his whereabouts. However, at the end of April, it emerged that he was being held at a detention centre in Aleppo and was receiving medical treatment as a result of torture he had suffered. Testimonies from witnesses who shared the same cell clearly demonstrate that the journalist’s health and personal safety are under serious threat.
The fascistic, gang-like authorities currently holding power in Syria are disregarding the public’s right to information, the journalistic profession and fundamental human rights. This regime mentality, which has turned torture into a method, makes people disappear and even uses opposition journalists as bargaining chips in prisoner exchanges, while attempting to silence the free press through imprisonment.
As the International Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, we demand that the Syrian authorities and officials in the region immediately provide a transparent account of Ahmed Polad’s whereabouts and fate. The conditions of his detention in Aleppo, the torture inflicted upon him and the violations of his rights must end immediately, and access must be granted to independent medical teams.
Journalism is not a crime. Ahmed Polad must be released immediately and unconditionally, and his safety must be guaranteed. He must also be transferred in accordance with his wishes.
We call on all international institutions, particularly the governments of European Union member states, to end their support for this gang-like regime mentality and to take urgent responsibility for securing Polad’s freedom.
Journalist Ahmed Polad must be released immediately!
Freedom for all political prisoners!
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