German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who had been detained in Syria, has been released, her family confirmed.
Her brother, Antonius Michelmann, told the dpa news agency that she arrived in Jordan on Friday after being taken into custody in the city of Raqqa, Syria, on January 18.
Her brother said her health was stable under the circumstances, but that she had been subjected to a long period of isolation.
Syria's Information Ministry previously stated that the journalist from Cologne was captured on January 18 in the city of Raqqa during a military operation.
A Kurdish journalist, Ahmed Polad — a Turkish national — was also arrested at the same time. No information has yet emerged about this colleague, according to Antonius Michelmann.
The family said Eva Maria Michelmann had been working in Syria as a freelance journalist since 2002.
Last month, Syria's Information Ministry said Michelmann was captured in a raid on a building belonging to a group linked to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
At the time, reports indicated that after fighters barricaded themselves inside, everyone present was arrested. Two foreign nationals were also detained in the operation, according to the ministry's statement.
The SDF had administered the city of Raqqa and much of the surrounding province after the region came under the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in 2017, until January 2026 when control was handed over to Syrian government forces led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
According to the Information Ministry, Michelmann initially claimed to be a Spanish national working for an organization affiliated with the United Nations. However, a query to the United Nations showed no employees missing in the area.
During the investigation, authorities determined she was a German journalist. The Information Ministry added that she and her companion had attempted to escape from custody.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the German Embassy in Damascus provided consular assistance to Michelmann and, in coordination with the embassy in Beirut, lobbied the Syrian government for her release.
