According to a Bulgarian journalist, he has been "banned" from the Bafta Film Awards ceremony on Sunday in London because he poses a "security risk.".
Christo Grozev said he was "surprised" that he and his family had been prohibited from attending the event because they appear in the Bafta-nominated movie about the assassination of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Moments like this demonstrate the increasing risks independent journalists face globally, Mr. Grozev tweeted.
Safety, according to Bafta, is its top priority.
However, not every person connected to the movie, Navalny, has been barred from the ceremony. The presence of several producers has been confirmed by Bafta to the PA news agency.
Alexei Navalny was allegedly the target of a nerve agent Novichok murder plot, according to Mr. Grozev, the lead Russia investigator for the investigative journalism organization Bellingcat.
The movie depicts Mr. Grozev learning information that might point to Kremlin involvement in the poisoning plot. Russia denies having any part in the attack, which allegedly involved poisoning Mr. Navalny's underwear.
Mr. Grozev claimed on Twitter that he had been "banned by British police" from attending the awards ceremony, despite the Metropolitan Police stating that they lacked the authority to do so and that the decision would be up to the event organizers. On security-related issues, it does offer guidance to event organizers.
Mr. Grozev claimed that he was only made aware of his and his son's exclusion when he received a message from CNN a few days ago. According to him, they had tickets to the event but the invitation was withdrawn as a result of UK police advice. He said this on BBC Radio 4's Today program.
He was informed that the ban was due to "concerns about public safety and security," but was not given any further information regarding the nature of these risks.
But Mr. Grozev went on to say that he has recently been the recipient of "many alerts from various law enforcement agencies throughout Europe that there is credible evidence that my life is in danger.".
Threats made against British journalists by foreign governments are "a reality that we are absolutely concerned with," according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police.
In addition, it acknowledged that its recommendations for security precautions might present "difficult choices for event organizers to make when determining how best to mitigate any risks to the security of their event.".
In remarks cited by PA news agency, Bafta stated that the security of its attendees and employees was a top priority and that it had "robust and appropriate security arrangements in place every year."
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