Washington DC council consider renaming Russian embassy's street after anti-Putin dissident Boris Nemtsov

The Senate changed the name of the street in front of the previous Russian Embassy after dissident Andrei Sakharov in 1984

If the legislation is approved, the block of Wisconsin Avenue would be called 'Boris Nemtsov Plaza' (Getty Images)

The District of Columbia Council is considering legislation that would change the name of the northwest Washington street where the Russian Embassy is located to honour Boris Nemtsov, a prominent Russian opposition leader who was assassinated in Moscow in 2015.

If the legislation is approved, the block of Wisconsin Avenue would be called "Boris Nemtsov Plaza." The new name would appear under the existing Wisconsin Avenue street sign, although no addresses on that designated block would change.

Ward 3 council member Mary Cheh introduced the legislation and said the sign would commemorate the leader of Russia's pro-Democracy opposition and serve as a reminder of America's democratic values. She said the Russian Embassy does not have a say in whether the street name is changed.

"The man was assassinated, and he was someone fighting for democracy in Russia, and he is a hero," Ms Cheh said. "But, of course, he is not being treated as a hero in Russia."

Ms Cheh said she was approached by members of the Senate about changing the street name. Senator Marco Rubio is the original sponsor of Senate legislation that would change the name in honour of Mr Nemtsov. That legislation hasn't moved in the Senate, so she said senators approached her about getting the local legislation passed instead. Rubio is one of nine Republican and Democratic senators listed as sponsors of the bill. Others include Senators Christopher Coons, and John McCain.

The federal government has the power to pass legislation to change a street name in the nation's capital and also can vote to overturn legislation passed by D.C. government.

Mr Rubio's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Senate and D.C. Council have used street names in the past as a way to rebuke the government of a nearby embassy. In 1984, the Senate changed the name of the street in front of the previous Russian Embassy after Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov.

And Texas Senator Ted Cruz is trying to rename the street outside the Chinese Embassy after Liu Xiaobo, a pro-democracy dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner who died in a Chinese prison this year. Mr Cruz pushed a bill through the Senate on the matter in 2016, but then-President Barack Obama said he would veto it, and it died in the Senate.

Ms Cheh said she expects there to be a hearing on the legislation early next year.

"No matter what is going on in this country we should still be the beacon for fighting democracy," Ms Cheh said. "Once this was presented to me, it seemed so right."

The Washington Post