After almost nine months in Syrian torture detention, Ahmet Polad was transferred to a Turkish prison. He reported on the situation there from the Kurdish areas in Syria. The Initiative Freedom for Eva and Ahmet continues to fight for his freedom.

In January, fundamentalist HTS forces attacked the autonomous Rojava self-government in northeastern Syria. As part of the attacks on the city of Raqqa, they kidnapped the Kurdish journalist Ahmet Polad and the German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann on January 19th. Both reported from Rojava for the broadcaster ÖzgürTV and the newspaper ETHA.

For several months there was no trace of the two of them. An initiative under the motto “Where are Eva and Ahmet?” Among other things, the German authorities provided information about the whereabouts of Eva and Ahmet. After there was the first sign of life from Eva in April and also evidence of Ahmet's whereabouts, the initiative then called for “Freedom for Eva and Ahmet!”

After a lot of public pressure through the campaign, the Foreign Office was persuaded to lobby the authorities of the Syrian transitional government for Eva's release. In the meantime, it had become known through a former fellow prisoner that Eva was being tortured using “physical violence” while in custody. In mid-June, Eva was handed over to the German authorities.

Journalist Eva Maria Michelmann was released and arrived in Germany

Ahmet Polad transferred to Turkish custody

HowETHAReportedly, Ahmet Polad was deported from Syrian captivity to Turkey on September 9th and taken into custody there. He was brought before a court on September 11th and then taken to Metris Prison in Istanbul. Shortly before, the Turkish authorities had informed Ahmet Polad's father about his extradition.

Ahmet's father was able to see his son briefly as he entered Metris Prison. He reported that Ahmet appeared very emaciated and exhausted. Ahmet explained to his father that he had been tortured in prison for the past eight months and had been on a hunger strike for a long time. Eyewitnesses from Aleppo had also previously reported that Ahmet was injured in prison.

The Freedom for Eva and Ahmet initiative calls for Ahmet to be taken to a hospital immediately to receive the medically necessary treatment. "We are concerned for his health and life. The Turkish state must release Ahmet Polad immediately," the initiative said in a statement. “The Turkish state will be responsible for any negative development that affects his health or life from now on.”

After her release, Eva Maria Michelmann also reported in detail about the torture she had experienced in prison. She emphasized that torture by beating with sticks and electric shocks were standard interrogation methods in HTS prisons. Women she met in prison also reported being hung by their arms and beaten all over their bodies. Women with children were also imprisoned in the torture prisons.

Eva Maria Michelmann reports on five months in the HTS prisons

Campaign calls for freedom for Ahmed

After Eva's release, the Freedom for Eva and Ahmet initiative declared that it would now continue to fight for Ahmet's freedom. Eva also emphasized in several interviews that the fight for Ahmet and all other political prisoners in Syria must continue.

"We condemn the attitude of the fascist HTS regime, which has used severe solitary confinement and torture against journalist Ahmet Polad for eight months, in disregard of international law and human rights. We declare that we will continue our fight for the prosecution of those responsible," the initiative says.

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