Overview

• Gerd Poppe, a key figure in the DDR opposition and co-founder of the Initiative Frieden und Menschenrechte (IFM), passed away at 84 in Berlin after a period of illness.
• Poppe was instrumental in the peaceful revolution of 1989, which led to the fall of the DDR regime, and later became a Bundestag member for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.
• He served as Germany’s first Federal Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid from 1998 to 2003, shaping the Green Party’s humanitarian foreign policy approach.
• Throughout his life, Poppe faced Stasi surveillance and professional consequences for his activism, embodying a commitment to nonviolent and principled resistance.
• Tributes from political leaders and organizations highlight his enduring contributions to democracy, freedom, and human rights, both in Germany and globally.