A Bulgarian journalist asserts that he has been “barred” from attending the Bafta Film Awards event on Sunday in London because he poses a “security concern.”
Christo Grozev, who appears in a Bafta-nominated film on the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, stated that he and his family were “surprised” to have been barred.
Mr. Grozev tweeted,
“Instances like this demonstrate the mounting threats facing independent journalists around the world.”
Bafta stated that its first goal was safety.
However, not every member of the film’s cast and crew, including Navalny, was excluded from the ceremony. Bafta confirmed to PA news that a number of producers will be there.
Mr. Grozev is the chief Russia investigator for Bellingcat, an investigative journalism organization, and is credited with exposing the alleged attempt to assassinate Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny with the nerve poison Novichok.
In the film, Mr. Grozev is depicted uncovering evidence implicating the Kremlin in the poisoning plan. Moscow denies involvement in the incident, which allegedly consisted of poisoning Mr. Navalny’s underwear.
Mr. Grozev posted on Twitter that he had been “barred by British police” from attending the awards ceremony; however, the Metropolitan Police stated that they lacked the authority to do so and that it was up to the event organizers. It does, however, provide event organizers with security-related guidance.
A few days ago, Mr. Grozev received a message from someone at CNN informing him that he and his son had been disinvited. He told the Today show on BBC Radio 4 that they had tickets to the event, but the invitation was rescinded on the recommendation of UK authorities.
The prohibition was based on “concerns about public safety and security,” he was told, but he was not informed of the specific hazards.
Christo Grozev added, however, that in recent weeks he has received “many warnings from law enforcement agencies across Europe that there is credible proof that my life is in jeopardy.”
The Metropolitan Police stated in a statement that foreign state threats against British journalists are “a reality about which we are extremely worried.”
In addition, it acknowledged that its advice on security measures could force event organizers to make “difficult decisions regarding how effectively to minimize any threats to the security of their event.”
In remarks published by the PA news agency, Bafta stated that the safety of its visitors and employees was a top priority and that “strong and sufficient security preparations are in place every year.”
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