Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe VAXJO , Sweden, June 3 (UPI) -- An Uzbek refugee in Sweden is suing a shopping mall in the city of Vaxjo for using the same name as his hometown. The man claims in his suit, which is seeking $166,000 in damages, that the Samarkand mall disrespects the Uzbek city by sharing its name, the Swedish news agency TT reported Tuesday. Advertisement "Those who decided to use the holy city's name for their shopping center showed no respect for the city of Samarkand," the man wrote in court papers. He said the mall does not make any mention of the town, which is the second largest city in Uzbekistan. The man said he would use the money from the suit to help restore historic buildings and an orphanage in Samarkand. Hakan Seiborg, chair of the Samarkand mall association, said the mall will not voluntarily pay damages to the man. "Samarkand has been used since the shopping center opened in 1973 and was chosen after a naming competition," he said.
