Hamburg names square after Russian journalist Politkovskaya

A square in the northern German city of Hamburg has been officially inaugurated to commemorate Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered 18 years ago this week.

Located in the district of Eimsbüttel, the square was officially renamed in the presence of friends and relatives of Politkovskaya.

The initiative was launched by the Bucerius "Zeit" Foundation, which is based there, and political groups in the Eimsbüttel district assembly.

"This place will remind us that there are people like my mother who are not afraid to swim against the tide and fight for the truth," Politkovskaya's son, Ilya Politkovsky, said at the unveiling in Hamburg.

The square named after his mother is "a symbol that freedom, truth and justice remain fundamental values," he said.

Fearless journalist and human rights champion

Politkovskaya is regarded worldwide as a symbolic champion of press freedom and human rights.

She was an investigative journalist who reported on political and social events in Russia.

It was her reporting from Chechnya that gave her national and international recognition.

She worked for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and documented the crimes of the Russian army in Chechnya for years.

On October 7, 2006, the outspoken Kremlin critic was murdered in the elevator of her apartment block in Moscow.

In 2014, five men were sentenced to prison for the murder, but it is still unclear who was behind the contract killing. 

Recently one of the men convicted of Politkovskaya's murder was pardoned following service in Ukraine. 

'A daily reminder' to defend press freedom

There is also a memorial stone to Politkovskaya on the square near the headquarters of the "Zeit" Bucerius Foundation.

It has a plaque with a quote from the journalist in Russian and German: "If I stop writing, my enemies will have achieved their goal."

According to Hamburg's Senator for Culture and Media, Carsten Brosda, the renaming of the square is a "reminder" to defend the freedom of the press, which is a cornerstone of open democracies.

The defense of press freedom is "more important than ever" in the face of attacks on many levels, including in Germany, said Manuel Hartung, chairman of the foundation.

Anna Politkovskaya Square is "a daily reminder of the value of press freedom for a defensive democracy," he added.

The "Zeit" Bucerius Foundation was established in 1971 by the co-founder of the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, Gerd Bucerius, and his wife Ebelin.

dh/wmr (AFP, epd)