Journalist who probed Navalny poisoning claims he was banned from BAFTA

A journalist who investigated the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and was prominently featured in a documentary film about the imprisoned leader said he was “banned” from attending the British Academy Film Awards, where the film was nominated, after being told his presence would represent a security risk to the public.

The journalist, Christo Grozev, is on the Russian Interior Ministry's “wanted” list, according to the Russian state-run news agency TASS. His reporting on Russia with the open-source investigative group Bellingcat, including into the 2018 Novichok poisonings, havs won multiple international press awards.

Grozev's reporting on Navalny's poisoning is a key driver of the documentary film, “Navalny.” He sat next to the titular figure during a now-famous scene in which the opposition leader appears to phone a Russian intelligence officer and trick him into confessing the assassination plot.

Grozev said on Twitter Friday that he and his family were “banned” from attending Sunday's BAFTA ceremony in London and had been told that they “represent a public security risk.”

BAFTA organizers told the documentary team that, “on the advice of U.K. police,” they had decided Grozev and his family “may not attend any BAFTA event this weekend,” the journalist said via direct message Saturday.

Grozev said he fled his home in Vienna in January after law enforcement agencies from several countries notified him about risks to his safety from Russian intelligence.

He now lives in the United States.

He said he had not received a ban from the Academy Awards, where “Navalny” was nominated for best documentary feature.