Press organizations and journalists held a press statement at DİSK Basın-İş to draw attention to the health condition of Etkin News Agency (ETHA) reporter Ahmet Polad, who was abducted while covering news in Raqqa, Syria, held for eight months and later arrested in Türkiye. ETHA editor Pınar Gayıp said Polad was abducted by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTŞ) while working as a journalist in Raqqa on 18 January, was tortured for months together with German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and was held in severe isolation. She said Michelmann was released on 19 June, while Polad was handed over to MİT on 8 September. She alleged that Polad was held in unregistered custody for two days and arrested on 11 September. Gayıp said Polad, who had staged hunger strikes at different times over a five-month period and had bullet and shrapnel fragments in his body, was first sent to Metris and then to Silivri No. 6 Prison without receiving treatment. Hayri Tunç of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association and Mustafa Tekin of DİSK Basın-İş also said the journalist’s right to health had been obstructed. Press organizations called for Polad to be treated at a fully equipped hospital and released immediately. The statement also criticized the situation of other imprisoned journalists, trustee appointments to media organizations and access blocks.
22 October 2026
Sendika.Org