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After 15 years in office, Sheikh Hasina’s stranglehold on power starts to loosen.   A grievous insult leveled at student protesters catapults a long simmering dispute over government jobs into a full fledged rebellion. When students take to the streets, the government deploys armed gangs to beat them into submission. It’s a tactic that has worked in the past, but this time the students are fighting back like never before.  Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten and Tamara Khandaker with Craig Pennington who is also the audio editor. Additional editing by Manny Panaretos. Clean Cuts did the final sound mix. Black Box did music for this series. Will Thorne is the Executive Producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

Abu Sayed, a young man from a poor village, is shot dead while standing up to police in front of his university campus. With thousands watching the tragic scene on livestream, he becomes instantly viewed as a martyr. Sheikh Hasina, whose political career was grounded in the martyrdom of her famous father, scrambles to change the narrative and help turn Abu Sayed from a hero into a villain.   Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by me, Kevin Hirten and  Tamara Khandaker with Craig Pennington who is also our audio editor. Additional editing by Manny Panaretos. Clean Cuts did the final sound mix  Black Box composed original music for this series. Will Thorne is the Executive Producer. And Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.    

Abu Sayed’s death super charges the uprising and Sheikh Hasina is determined to put a stop to it. In this episode, we’ll hear Hasina, on exclusively obtained recordings, authorizing deadly force. As the situation worsens she makes two fateful decisions. She calls the Army in and turns the internet off.   Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by me, Kevin Hirten and Tamara Khandaker with Craig Pennington who is also our audio editor. Additional editing by Manny Panarertos. Clean Cuts did the final sound mix  Black Box composed original music for this series. Will Thorne is the Executive Producer. And Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

With the internet shut off, Sheikh Hasina attempts to claw back the narrative. But as the uprising reaches its final days, it becomes clear that her cruel crackdown on the students has backfired. There’s no turning back. A fateful decision from Bangladesh’s most powerful institution puts Sheikh Hasina’s government on a glidepath to collapse.  Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by me, Kevin Hirten and  Tamara Khandaker with Craig Pennington who is also our audio editor. Additional editing by Manny Panarertos. Clean Cuts did the final sound mix  Black Box did the music for this series. Will Thorne is the Executive Producer.And Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

When Bangladeshi’s woke up on the morning of August 5, 2024 no one knew what would happen. Hundreds of thousands of people were planning to march to the capital. But security forces still loyal to Sheikh Hasina were determined to keep her in power no matter the cost. Until the final minutes, her fate remained uncertain. The last day of the uprising would be the deadliest and most dramatic.  Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by me, Kevin Hirten and  Tamara Khandaker with Craig Pennington who is also our audio editor. Additional editing by Manny Panarertos. Clean Cuts did the final sound mix  Black Box did the music for this series. Will Thorne is the Executive Producer. And Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

Al Jazeera Investigates/The Take  A new @AJIunit documentary investigates thousands of posts from social media documenting war crimes by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. This interview with the film's director, Richard Sanders, examines what this database exposes about the last year of war – what’s being called the first “live streamed genocide”? This episode first aired on October 8, 2024. In this episode: Richard Sanders (@PulaRJS), Director, “Gaza” Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, David Enders, and Ashish Malhotra with Manny Panaretos, Cole van Miltenburg, Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh, and our host, Kevin Hirten.  The sound designer is Alex Roldan.  Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer.  Rafi Mustafa is Al Jazeera's acting director of investigative journalism and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube @AJIUnit on Twitter, Instagram

On October 9th, 2024 the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) hosted a Westminster screening of @AJIunit's newest documentary Gaza. The film examines evidence of possible Israeli war crimes committed in Gaza using images and videos posted by Israeli soldiers themselves. A panel discussion followed the screening with experts answering questions about if and how International Law can be used to hold Israel accountable. In this episode: Susan Abulhawa - Human Rights Activist and Author Youmna Elsayed - Al Jazeera Gaza Strip Correspondent Haydee Dijkstal - Barrister and Chief Counsel at ICJP  Dr Victoria Rose - NHS Plastic Surgeon  Richard Sanders - Director, 'Gaza' Jeremy Corbyn - MP, Former Labour Leader Dania Abul Haj - ICJP Senior Legal Officer  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Kevin Hirten and Sami Vanderlip. It was edited by Manny Panaretos and Craig Pennington. Alex Roldan did the final sound mix. Rafi Mustafa is Al Jazeera's acting director of investigative journalism and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube @AJIUnit on Twitter, Instagram

In the midst of a historic housing crisis, a tip came into the AJ I-Unit that a high-ranking politician from Bangladesh might be one the largest private landlords in the UK. The team set about chasing down the information; what’s true, what's not and how this story helped explain why millions of regular people can’t afford to buy. Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten, with Adrian Gatton. Craig Pennington is our sound designer.  Additional editing from Manny Panaretos. Clean cuts does the final sound mix. Will Thorne is the show’s executive producer. Rafi Mustafa is Al Jazeera’s Acting Director of Investigative Journalism and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

With foreign ownership of UK housing skyrocketing, the team heads to an overseas property fair in Istanbul, Turkey. This is where overseas buyers scoop up great swaths of property in bulk. Our goal is to track down the estate agent who helped this Bangladeshi politician build his global housing empire. Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten, with Adrian Gatton. Craig Pennington is our sound designer.  Additional editing from Manny Panaretos Clean Cuts does the final sound mix. Will Thorne is the show’s executive producer. Rafi Mustafa is Al Jazeera’s Acting Director of Investigative Journalism and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

To gain the Estate Agent’s trust, we assume the identity of a high-net worth individual.  The team goes all out: Rolls Royce, Savoy Suite, fancy clothes, you name it. Would it be enough to get him to spill his secrets about how the Minister manages his millions?  Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten with Adrian Gatton. Craig Pennington is our sound designer.  Additional editing from Manny Panaretos. Clean cuts does the final sound mix. Will Thorne is the show’s executive producer. Rafi Mustafa is Al Jazeera’s Acting Director of Investigative Journalism and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.

The undercover team finally comes face-to-face with the high-ranking Bangladeshi politician who kicked it all off. Meanwhile, events back home have scrambled his plans and sent him into hiding.  In the world of finance the minister was classified as a PEP - a Politically Exposed Person. Now the walls are closing in on the man his own estate agent called a Super PEP. Episode Credits: This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten, with Adrian Gatton, and Saer Khan. Craig Pennington is our sound designer.  Additional editing from Manny Panaretos. Clean cuts does the final sound mix. Will Thorne is the show’s executive producer. Rafi Mustafa is Al Jazeera’s Acting Director of Investigative Journalism and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

The AJ I-Unit goes undercover to expose some of Africa’s biggest gold smugglers and money launderers. We take you inside a scheme to wash millions of dollars by trading gold from Southern Africa to the Middle East and back again. Find out why gold is the key that unlocks it all. Episode Credits:This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten with help from Amy Walters. Alexander James and Sarah Yeo are the lead investigators on this series.Craig Pennington is our sound designer. Clean Cuts does the final sound mix. Eric Samothrakis composed our theme song. Our engagement producer is Hasan Rrahmani. Peter Charley is the show’s Executive Producer, Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio and Phil Rees is Al Jazeera’s Director of Investigative Journalism. Connect with us: @ajiunit on Twitter

He nearly bankrupted Kenya and now he’s back to his old tricks. Our undercover team meets with Kamlesh Pattni, the notorious businessman behind the famed Goldenberg Scandal. Pattni tells all about how he cleans dirty money through the international gold trade.  Episode Credits:This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten with help from Amy Walters. Alexander James and Sarah Yeo are the lead investigators on this series.Craig Pennington is our sound designer. Clean Cuts does the final sound mix. Eric Samothrakis composed our theme song. Our engagement producer is Hasan Rrahmani. Peter Charley is the show’s Executive Producer, Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio and Phil Rees is Al Jazeera’s Director of Investigative Journalism. Connect with us: @ajiunit on Twitter    

It all starts with a pack of illegal cigarettes bought on the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. The AJ I-Unit follows the money as it’s laundered by a flamboyant gangster known as Mo Dollars. His former partners tell all about his lavish lifestyle and audacious schemes to launder millions. Episode Credits:This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten with help from Amy Walters. Alexander James and Sarah Yeo are the lead investigators of this series.Craig Pennington is our sound designer. Clean Cuts does the final sound mix. Eric Samothrakis composed our theme song. Our engagement producer is Hasan Rrahmani. Peter Charley is the show’s Executive Producer, Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio and Phil Rees is Al Jazeera’s Director of Investigative Journalism. Connect with us: @ajiunit on Twitter  

When it comes to laundering illicit funds through the gold trade, all roads seem to lead to Dubai. The AJ I-Unit gains access to the city’s famed Gold Tower where we learn how traders disguise the true origin of smuggled gold and dirty money.  Episode Credits:This episode was written and produced by Kevin Hirten with help from Amy Walters. Alexander James and Sarah Yeo are the lead investigators of this series. Craig Pennington is our sound designer. Clean Cuts does the final sound mix. Eric Samothrakis composed our theme song. Our engagement producer is Hasan Rrahmani. Peter Charley is the show’s Executive Producer, Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio and Phil Rees is Al Jazeera’s Director of Investigative Journalism. Connect with us: @ajiunit on Twitter