Vahid Online in English

Automated AI translations of Vahid Online reporting. Exported from the Telegram Channel. Original content also available on X/Twitter.

← Back to latest feed

17 May 2026, 13:52

The court session for Sadegh Saeedi-Nia, the manager of the Saeedi-Nia chain of cafes, who was arrested during the nationwide protests last December along with his father, Mohammad Ali Saeedi-Nia, was held at the Revolutionary Court in Qom.

The Saeedi-Nia cafes were among the businesses that closed their shops during the protests last December, which began with market protests against economic mismanagement.

The representative of the Qom prosecutor accused Mr. Saeedi-Nia of "propaganda or media activities against the security of the country," "operational actions for anti-regime groups through posting stories, virtual activities, participating in illegal gatherings, closing his cafes and shops nationwide, and encouraging some of his employees to commit crimes against national security."

According to the prosecutor's representative and the judge, the charges are based on information extracted from the electronic devices seized from Mr. Saeedi-Nia, including images and chats from his WhatsApp. The prosecutor's representative stated that Mr. Saeedi-Nia had "discussed plans to close the cafes simultaneously with the enemy's call for action on WhatsApp."

The judge told him: "With the call you made and the actions you took, you have led this number of young people into this predicament, and the regime has suffered significant damages. How can you compensate for this?"
@VahidHeadline
The prosecutor's representative cited instances of Mr. Saeedi-Nia's activities on social media, including a clip of one of his employees with "Long Live the King" written on his hand, creating and managing a WhatsApp group for cafe employees, sending a voice message about turning off phones to avoid tracking, the presence of some employees at protests, and planning to close cafes and factories simultaneously with protest calls as examples of the charges against him.
@VahidOOnLine

📡 @VahidOnline

Mapped locations (2)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors