An alley in Paris will be named after Navalny

Deputies of the 16th urban district of Paris at a meeting on May 7 unanimously decided to name one of the lanes in honor of the Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny, who died in a colony. About it it says in a message from the mayor’s office of the 16th arrondissement. Navalny is called in the message “a Russian lawyer, a fiery fighter against corruption and for freedom.”

In the 16th arrondissement, in the block bounded by Boulevard Lannes and Rue Chantmes, the Russian Embassy in France is located. A group of local council deputies proposed renaming Shantmes Street in honor of Navalny, where a spontaneous memorial in honor of Navalny, which arose after his death in February, is now located. However, the final decision does not mention the name of the street that will be named in honor of the oppositionist. One of the local council deputies, Julie Boillot wrote on Twitter that in order to make a decision as quickly as possible, amendments were made to the original text, but the deputies did not completely abandon the idea of ​​​​renaming Chantmes Street.

Previously, in a number of countries, streets, squares or other objects located near Russian diplomatic missions were named or renamed in honor of oppositionist Boris Nemtsov, who was killed in Moscow in 2015, and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – in honor of Ukrainian figures or the Ukrainian army .

The death of Navalny, recognized as a political prisoner, in a colony in the polar village of Kharp was announced on February 16. Russian authorities say he died of natural causes. Navalny’s associates insist he was killed. Western authorities, including France, have held Russian authorities responsible for Navalny’s death, noting that he was unfairly convicted and held in prison under harsh conditions.