Die Zeit13 minutes agoPolitics1 min readGermanyView original

Journalist Ahmet Polad, kidnapped in Syria, extradited to Turkey

According to supporters, Kurdish journalist Ahmet Polad is in Turkish custody and reports torture during his time in Syrian captivity.

Ahmet Polad Eva Maria Michelmann Syria

Quick Look

Kurdish journalist Ahmet Polad, who was kidnapped in Syria in January, has been extradited to Turkey, according to supporters.
He reports torture in Syrian detention and is in critical condition after a five-month hunger strike.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Ahmet Polad and Eva Maria Michelmann disappeared on January 18 after the Syrian interim government invaded Raqqa. Michelmann was released in June.

Font size

Kurdish journalist Ahmet Polad, who was kidnapped in Syria along with his German colleague Eva Maria Michelmann, has been extradited to Turkey, according to supporters. The Freedom for Eva and Ahmet initiative referred to relevant information from his father. Accordingly, Polad is in custody in Turkey.

According to supporters, Polad's father was informed of the extradition on Friday. He had a brief opportunity to see his son. Ahmet Polad said that he was subjected to torture in Syrian custody for more than eight months. He has been on hunger strike for five months and is in an "extremely emaciated and exhausted state."

Disappeared since January

The Cologne journalist Michelmann and her Turkish-Kurdish colleague Ahmet Polad disappeared after the Syrian transitional government invaded Raqqa, northern Syria, on January 18th. It was later revealed that they were being held in Syrian prisons. Michelmann was released in June and was able to return to Germany.

The Freedom for Eva and Ahmet initiative continues to campaign for Polad's release. She calls on the Turkish government to ensure the journalist's medical treatment and to "immediately release him." According to the information, Polad, who was born in 1999, worked for the left-wing Turkish news agency ETHA, among other things.