The authorities in the city of Béziers in the south of France have unveiled a bust of murdered Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Novaya Europe’s correspondent reported on Tuesday.

The unveiling ceremony was held to coincide with National Resistance Day, which the French celebrate on 27 May.

“I had the privilege of knowing Anna Politkovskaya,” Robert Ménard, the mayor of Béziers, said. “Who was she? She was the very essence of a journalist — fastidious to the finest detail … and madly in love with freedom.”

The bust of Politkovskaya, who was murdered in the lift of her Moscow apartment building in 2006, was installed on an avenue dedicated to those who have opposed authoritarian regimes, a tradition Mayor Ménard initiated several years ago.

“This bust is an honour for our city, the historical capital of the Resistance,” the mayor said. “Anna, we admire you. We hope that one day you will witness from above the fall of the regime you fought and which cost you your life.”

Ménard is one of the founders of international NGO Reporters Without Borders. Over the years, the former journalist has spoken out for freedom of the press and against authoritarian regimes. Ménard has supported journalists facing prosecution in the course of their work and has protested against human rights violations.

Politkovskaya had gained international renown for her exposés of Kremlin corruption and the brutal treatment of civilians in Chechnya at the hands of Russian forces during the Second Chechen War.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2018 that the Russian government had failed to carry out an effective investigation into Politkovskaya’s murder. The statute of limitations on the case expired on 7 October 2021.