September 13, 2026; More than six months and six days after the violent and arbitrary arrest of "Sheikh Zahed Shahabi," a former political prisoner and prominent Sufi figure, he has been transferred to a ward at Saqqez Central Prison following months of interrogation, solitary confinement, quarantine, and detention at Qorveh Prison. To date, no temporary release bail has been issued, leaving him in a state of legal uncertainty while being denied access to legal counsel and family visits.

An informed source confirmed the news to Kurdpa, stating that Sheikh Zahed Shahabi is currently held in Saqqez Prison. In the initial days following his arrest, he was transferred to Qorveh, where he spent months undergoing interrogation in security detention facilities before being moved to Qorveh Prison, then to the quarantine section of Saqqez Prison, and finally to a general ward in Saqqez over recent days. The source added that Sheikh Zahed Shahabi has experienced severe weight loss due to physical pressure and torture endured during interrogation, and authorities have refused to issue bail for his temporary release.

"Sheikh Zahed Shahabi" was violently arrested by security forces without a judicial warrant in Saqqez on March 7, 2026. During the arrest operation, "Arman Khaleqpanah" was shot in the leg and wounded; no information regarding his fate or whereabouts has been disclosed since, effectively rendering him a victim of enforced disappearance. Despite repeated inquiries by his family, judicial and security authorities have refused to provide any information.

As of the publication of this report, the official charges against Sheikh Zahed Shahabi remain undisclosed, and security authorities have provided no explanation. He remains deprived of access to legal representation and family visitation rights, having spent months completely incommunicado.

Prior History of Arbitrary Arrest:

On the morning of March 24, 2025, Ministry of Intelligence agents in Saqqez raided the "Rah-e Azadi" Tekyeh without a judicial warrant and violently arrested "Sheikh Zahed Shahabi," brother of the late Sheikh Azad Shahabi. Following 66 days of detention—during which he was denied legal representation and family visits—he was released on bail from Saqqez Prison on May 28. Sheikh Azad Shahabi, a prominent Sufi figure in Kurdistan, was murdered alongside two of his companions, "Peyman Mohammadi" and "Parviz Rahimpanah," by armed individuals at his Tekyeh in Saqqez on July 18, 2024.

Who was Sheikh Azad Shahabi, and why did the Islamic Republic seek his elimination? Read more in this interview:

In an exclusive interview with a close associate of Sheikh Azad Shahabi, Kurdpa examines the basis for these allegations made by his relatives and followers, detailing their accounts of larger state-sponsored narratives designed to sow division and conflict among the local population following the killing of Sheikh Azad and his companions.