Part of Latinka Street in Sofia will be named after Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. This was decided by the Sofia Municipal Council with 29 votes in favour, 15 against and four abstentions. A total of 48 municipal councillors were present during the vote.
The section between Nikola Mirchev and Nezabravka streets in the Izgrev district, located near the Russian Embassy, will be renamed. The rest of Latinka Street will retain its current name.
Sofia Municipal Council Chair Tsvetomir Petrov explained that a simple majority of the councillors present was required for the report to be approved.
Dispute over the appropriateness and legality
The decision was preceded by a dispute in the municipal council. Ivan Takov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party described the report as “inappropriate”. According to him, Politkovskaya had no connection with Bulgaria or Sofia, and the proposal was motivated by geopolitical confrontation.
Takov also stated that the municipal ordinance did not allow for the partial renaming of streets and warned of administrative difficulties for citizens whose addresses would be changed. In his words, this could necessitate replacing address details in identity documents and other paperwork.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party representative said that if the regional governor returned the decision and the Sofia Municipal Council adopted it again, the party group would challenge it in court.
Simeon Stavrev of “Democratic Bulgaria” rejected the objections concerning the legality of the proposal. He pointed out that the council had already approved similar reports, including one naming a street after journalist Milen Tsvetkov. According to Stavrev, Politkovskaya defended freedom of speech, and her death is a symbol of the courage of journalists who try to uncover the truth.
Who was Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Politkovskaya was born on 30 August 1958. She worked for Novaya Gazeta newspaper and became known for her reports on the wars in Chechnya and her criticism of human rights violations in Russia.
She was killed on 7 October 2006 in the entrance of the apartment building where she lived in Moscow. The date marks 20 years since her death.
Politkovskaya was the author of the books “A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya” and “Second Chechen War”. With its decision, the Sofia Municipal Council named a section of a street in the immediate vicinity of the Russian Embassy after her, while the rest of Latinka Street retains its current name.
Sources: bta.bg, paragrafa.com