Reports related to arrests and political prisoners
According to Israeli media, Israel is preparing to resume military operations in Iran, anticipating that former President Trump will decide to restart strikes due to stalled negotiations.
Alireza Khani, an Iranian prisoner sentenced to death on espionage charges, has been transferred from Evin prison to Ghezel Hesar prison, indicating imminent execution according to rights groups.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an Iraqi national, has been arrested and brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges for allegedly coordinating nearly 20 attacks across Europe and directing plots against U.S. synagogues and Jewish institutions as a coordinator for Ashab al-Yamin, an Iran-backed group.
On Friday, the FBI announced the arrest and transfer of Muhammad Baqir Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a senior member of Kata'ib Hezbollah, to the United States for trial on six terrorism-related charges. Al-Saadi, a key figure in one of Iran's main proxy groups, was accused of collaborating with the Quds Force.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Muhammad Baqir al-Sa'idi, a leader of the Iraqi Hezbollah terrorist group, has been transferred to the United States after his arrest in Turkey. Al-Sa'idi faces six charges related to his cooperation with the IRGC Quds Force and the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, including directing attacks against American and Israeli interests.
U.S. prosecutors announced the arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saeedi, a 32-year-old Iraqi citizen and commander in Kata'ib Hezbollah, who was charged with plotting a terrorist attack on a New York synagogue and supporting groups backed by the Islamic Republic, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On May 13, 2026, the Islamic regime in Iran executed Ehsan Afrashteh, a 32-year-old civil engineering graduate and IT/cybersecurity specialist, at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, bringing the total number of political prisoners executed since the start of the war in late February to at least 31.
Matin Zamaniyan, an undergraduate political science student at Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, has been held in Tehran’s Evin Prison for over a month since his arrest, without access to an independent lawyer or a fair trial.
Leila Jafarloo, a 35-year-old Iranian woman, was kidnapped by intelligence forces linked to the IRGC on April 24 while traveling from Tehran to Zanjan. No official charges or legal process has been provided, and her whereabouts remain unknown 20 days after her abduction.
On day 30, protesters in Sydney continued a performance against executions and in support of regime change, calling for the end to political prisoner detention and torture, and the return of the monarchy under Shahanshah Reza II.
Mizan, the news agency affiliated with the Islamic Republic's judiciary, reported the execution of Mohammad Abbasi at dawn on Wednesday, May 13, in Qezel Hesar Prison. Abbasi was arrested during the Dey 1401 protests in Malard and sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of "moharebeh."
The U.S. Senate is currently voting on Kevin Warsh's confirmation as the next Federal Reserve Chair.
