Overview
- Badenberg voiced relief and said the leader’s death allows hope that opposition figures, dissidents, and minorities will no longer face systematic persecution.
- She warned that entrenched authoritarian power structures could reassemble, making the coming weeks and months decisive for Iran’s direction.
- She stressed that Iran must avoid chaos, calling for stability, the rule of law, and a transition without a power vacuum or new violence.
- She said political change cannot come solely from outside and urged the international community, including Germany, to support defenders of human rights and democracy.
- She suggested people in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria could see less coercion from Iran-backed forces, though the scale of any regional change remains uncertain.