This is terrifying but sadly not surprising. Jailing a café owner for posting on Instagram and encouraging staff to strike — then seizing his family’s assets — is naked political repression, not justice. Criminalizing peaceful protest, labor action or online solidarity under vague charges like “propaganda against national security” destroys any pretense of rule of law. The article notes no independent evidence linking him to property damage, yet the state is using confiscation and coerced public apologies to terrorize dissent and punish anyone who shows sympathy for protesters. Confiscating businesses and targeting families is also an attack on economic freedoms and civil society: entrepreneurs, workers and cultural figures are part of the same fabric pushing for basic rights. Progressives should defend the right to protest, to organize, and to speak out without fear of prison or having your life’s work taken away. Iranian authorities must stop using asset seizures as a political weapon, release those jailed for peaceful expression, return confiscated property, and allow independent investigations. Solidarity with Iranians demanding dignity and justice.