One more time... on Britney’s civil rights
Docu examines cash angle of her conservatorship
Britney Spears has been left with “no civil or human rights”, one fan claims in a new BBC documentary.
BAFTA-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar travelled to LA and the singer’s hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, to make The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship.
The programme explores the complexities of the courtordered conservatorship which has controlled Britney’s life since 2008.
He explains: “My aim was to really understand the law, and is it possible for someone in this day and age for all that status and power and money to be held captive? As one of the fans said in the film, ‘She has no civil rights, she has no human rights’.
“I was surprised that in California the law is absolutely open to abuse.”
Fans have been campaigning to have the 39-year-old’s conservatorship removed as part of the FreeBritney hashtag.
But after interviewing fans and celebrities who know her – including Brian Friedman and Perez Hilton – who felt Britney “would die without it”, Mobeen isn’t convinced. However, he believes it should be changed to remove the ability to benefit financially. He claims: “It’s tricky. There is a level of exploitation when it comes to the estate of Britney and the money that is being paid to various parties.
“The court documents show there are vast sums of money being spent on a weekly basis and monthly basis for years to pay lawyers and former business managers, and her court-appointed attorney. There is a possibility it would be in their interests to maintain the status quo because they are getting paid huge amounts of money.
“Whenever there’s that much money to be made, I don’t know if the milk of human kindness is going to prevail to do ultimately the right thing.” ■■The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship is available on BBC iPlayer next Saturday. It will be shown on
BBC Two on May 5 at 9pm.