‘Navalny’ Doc journalist says he and his family were barred from BAFTA ceremony due to ‘danger to public safety’.

Investigative journalist Christo Grozev, a key figure in the history of the award-winning documentary Navalnysays he and his family have been banned from attending Sunday’s BAFTA ceremony because he posed “a risk to public safety”.

Grozev, who is linked to Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat, was part of the team that uncovered the 2020 plot to poison Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The journalist tweeted yesterday that he was disqualified from Sunday’s BAFTA ceremony, where the film will be nominated as best documentary.

“I was surprised to find out that my whole family and I were banned by the British police from attending this weekend’s Bafta awards, where the documentary #Navalny was nominated. The reason said: We ‘pose a risk to public safety’. he tweeted.

“I understand the need to protect the public (although I do not understand how my teenage son or daughter poses a risk to the public). But moments like these show the growing dangers facing independent journalists around the world.

“These dangers come not only from murderous dictators, but also from the voices of journalists being silenced rather than amplified by the civilized world they seek to serve.”

Grozev stars alongside Maria Pevchikh, senior researcher at the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, in Daniel Roher’s Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated paper.

The film features in-depth interviews with Navalny, who is recovering from the assassination attempt in a safe house in Germany, and also follows Grozev and Pevchikh’s efforts to uncover the details of the poisoning.

Their findings suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin was involved in the operation.

The final scenes of the documentary follow Navalny as he defiantly returns to Russia, where he is promptly arrested and is now serving a nine-year sentence in harsh conditions in a Russian penal colony.

BAFTA if contacted by meeting Regarding Grozev’s claims, said he could not comment on individual cases, but stressed that the safety of guests was paramount.

“The safety of all our guests and staff at the ceremony is always our top priority, and we have maintained robust and adequate security measures every year,” the panel said in an official statement.

When asked if Pevchikh was also invited to attend, the academy said it had not disclosed its guest list, only the nominees and presenters.

The Academy noted that the film’s producers Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller and Odessa Rae would attend.

London’s Metropolitan Police responded to Gozev’s tweet with an update on the situation, noting that “The police are not banning anyone from attending a private event… We recognize that our advice may lead organizers to make difficult decisions take what.” The decision to mitigate damage need not compromise the safety of their event and we are grateful for BAFTA’s continued commitment.”

The tweet appears to imply that BAFTA decided to ban Grozev on the advice of the police.

“We cannot comment on an individual’s safety or any advice they may have received,” the Met added.

“The situation facing journalists around the world and the fact that some journalists are exposed to the hostile intentions of foreign states while in the UK is a reality we are absolutely concerned about.

“We are committed to working with our intelligence partners to investigate these threats and take other steps to ensure the safety of those affected.

British MP Alicia Kearns tweeted in response to Grozev that it was “reversed”. [the issue] with ministers – they are not the security risk.”