Bulgarian investigative journalist Hristo Grozev, who is wanted by Russia, has been barred from attending the BAFTA film awards ceremony in London due to safety concerns. The organizers of

the event, advised by the London police, decided not to allow Grozev to attend the ceremony, where a documentary about Alexei Navalny will be nominated, as Grozev is one of the main figures in the film. Grozev expressed his disappointment with the decision on Twitter, and the London police responded to him. Grozev had tickets to the event but they were revoked based on the advice of the British police.

Grozev had earlier stated that he would not return to Austria, where he had lived for many years, and would instead live in the United States due to suspicions that there were more Russian agents and informants in Vienna than police officers. Grozev has been accused of being a fugitive by Russia, while Bellingcat, the investigative group he works for, has been declared an "undesirable organization" and a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities. Grozev's exclusion from the BAFTA ceremony highlights the growing danger faced by independent journalists around the world, and the need to protect their voices. Photo by Hraybould, Wikimedia commons.