Reporter who helped reveal assassination plot on Putin opposition figure Navalny ‘BANNED’ from BAFTAs
A REPORTER who helped to reveal the plot to murder Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been "banned" from attending this weekend's BAFTAs.
Christo Grozev features in the 2022 film Navalny, which has been nominated for Best Documentary at the awards ceremony.
The film follows the story of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's poisoning in 2020 - and the subsequent efforts of Grozev and fellow investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh revealing the plot to kill the Russian opposition politician.
Navalny, one of Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics, survived the attempt on his life with a deadly nerve agent.
He is currently serving sentences totalling eleven-and-a-half years on charges including fraud and contempt of court.
Taken aback by the ruling, Grozev took to Twitter on Friday to inform his followers.
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He said: "I was surprised to discover that my whole family and I have all been banned by British police from attending this weekend's Bafta awards where the documentary #Navalny is nominated.
"The reason stated: 'We represent a public security risk'.
"I understand the need to keep the public safe (although I don't understand how my son or teenage daughter constitute risk to the public). But moments like this show the growing dangers to independent journalists around the world.
"These dangers don't stem just from murderous dictators, but also from having journalists' voices hushed - instead of amplified - by the civilised world they are trying to serve."
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In response to Grozev's online remarks, Met Police said that police forces generally "do not and cannot" ban individuals from attending events, and the decision will rest with the show's organisers.
Despite hand-wringing about "hostile intentions of foreign states" in the UK, Met Police said it could not comment on an individual's safety.
A statement read: "We cannot comment on the safety of an individual or the advice they may have been given.
"However, the situation that journalists face around the world and the fact that some journalists face the hostile intentions of foreign states whilst in the UK is a reality that we are absolutely concerned with.
"We are committed to working with our intelligence partners to investigate these threats and to take other steps to ensure the safety of those concerned."
The Met added: "Despite our efforts, on protective security and on investigations, we recognise the impact of those threats on those affected.
"The responsibility for such threats and their potential impact on the wider public lies with the hostile state actors behind them and we have significantly increased the resources applied to bearing down on those.
"More generally, police do not and cannot ban anyone from attending a private event. Decisions about the attendance at an event is a matter for the event organisers.
"We recognise that our advice can mean organisers have difficult choices to make when deciding how best to mitigate any risks to the security of their event, and we are grateful for the ongoing engagement of Bafta."
Christo Grozev is the lead Russia investigator for investigative group Bellingcat.
The Netherlands-based outfit's work focuses on “security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponization of information,” according to their website.
Responding to Grozev's Twitter thread, Tory MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns responded: "I've raised with ministers - you are not the security risk."
In a statement given to the PA news agency regarding security at Sunday's ceremony, Bafta said: "The safety of all our guests and staff at the ceremony is always our highest priority, and we have robust and appropriate security arrangements in place every year."
Bafta also confirmed that the film's producers Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller and Odessa Rae will be in attendance as nominees for Navalny.
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Grozev's attendance is yet to be confirmed.
The Bafta awards ceremony is set to take place at London's Southbank Centre on Sunday.
