Shirvan Prison; Compulsory Detention and Legal Limbo of 18-Year-Old Kurdish Youth Daniyal Niazi in Facing "Moharebeh" Charges Prolongs Past 5 Months
June 29, 2026; An 18-year-old Kurdish youth from Shirvan, North Khorasan, identified as “Daniyal Niazi,” remains held in temporary detention at Shirvan Prison after 5 months and 17 days. Detained without a trial, he is reportedly subjected to systematic psychological pressure, while his defense attorney has been strictly denied access to his legal case file. Through a flawed judicial process, under torture and coerced confessions, Niazi was served with the capital charge of "Moharebeh" (enmity against God).
An informed source confirmed the situation to Kurdpa, stating that Daniyal Niazi continues to endure legal limbo at Shirvan Prison without a scheduled court hearing. According to the source, a prosecutor and a judge from Bojnurd visited the facility in recent weeks to conduct further interrogations. Although the judiciary initially declared that he could retain legal counsel, the court has officially blocked his family-appointed attorney from entering the case or reviewing any documents, stating that counsel will not be allowed to intervene until the formal trial commences.
The source added that this arbitrary judicial profiling—reliant on confessions extracted under physical torture—coupled with ongoing prison rumors regarding imminent executions (particularly following Eid al-Fitr), has placed severe psychological distress on the teenager. Authorities within the facility have repeatedly threatened Niazi with the death penalty, which has heavily deteriorated his mental health given his pre-existing history of neurological conditions.
Previously, Kurdpa reported during the 38th day of his detention that Branch 2 of the Interrogation Department of the Public and Revolutionary Court of Shirvan had formally processed a range of heavy security offenses against Niazi. In addition to "Moharebeh," his charges include "participation in attempted premeditated murder," "participation in intentional assault and battery," "membership in an illegal assembly of more than three persons against domestic security," "disrupting public order," and "propaganda against the state."
Daniyal Niazi was violently arrested during a midnight raid on his residence by security forces on January 12, 2026, without a judicial warrant. Within the first 24 hours of his apprehension, he was subjected to physical torture to extract the confessions that formed the basis of these charges. Based on an official indictment excerpt reviewed by Kurdpa, the criminal processing order against him was finalized on January 13, 2026, with the court dismissing the 18-year-old's subsequent objections.
A source close to the family conveyed to Kurdpa that Niazi's situation is further compounded by a lack of institutional support. Raised without guardians due to his parents' early separation, his mother remains the sole individual trying to follow up on his legal situation. Currently, neither the court administration nor the prosecutor’s office has offered any transparent answers regarding his ongoing detention. Daniyal Niazi belongs to the Kurmanji Kurdish community of Shirvan in North Khorasan Province.
