PRESS RELEASE : Camden Council applies to name area in Highgate ‘Boris Nemtsov Place’ [October 2022]
The press release issued by Camden Council on 14 October 2022.
Camden Council has applied to rename the area at the junctions of Highgate Road, Highgate West Hill and Swains Lane after assassinated Russian pro-democracy campaigner Boris Nemtsov.
Boris Nemtsov repeatedly spoke out against Vladimir Putin’s regime and campaigned to uphold democracy in Russia. Tragically, having become a prominent and effective voice of opposition, he was assassinated in Moscow on February 27th, 2015.
His supporters and friends who were seeking to commemorate his life’s work have successfully lobbied global cities home to Russian embassies and consulates to rename locations near them. Camden is the latest authority to show solidarity by beginning the formal process to rename a junction in Highgate ‘Boris Nemtsov Place’ – near the Russian Trade Delegation.
Camden would join Washington DC, Vilnius, Kyiv, Bratislava, Prague and Greater Toronto in naming an area after Boris Nemtsov – and become the first place in the UK to do so.
“Boris Nemtsov’s life and death are an invaluable reminder of the constant need to fight for democracy, liberty, and rule of law, and stark warning not to take them for granted. It would be an honour to join the other cities around the world who chose to pay tribute to his legacy.
I am grateful to the extraordinary courage of democracy campaigner Vladimir Kara-Murza who has championed this project and his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza who has carried the torch following his imprisonment in Moscow for speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This tribute honours Boris Nemtsov and all those following in his legacy who continue to put their lives at risk for democracy and freedom” – Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council
