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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the shadows of the UN’s climate conference, our undercover reporters, posing as criminals from Hong Kong, arrange a meeting with Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa. There’s a billion-dollar plan on the table to turn Victoria Falls into a mega-casino on the scale of Las Vegas and Macau.

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

The stakes continue to rise as the AJ I-Unit gets closer to the center of power. Our undercover team meets one of Zimbabwe’s most powerful diplomats who offers to help launder a billion dollars on our behalf. With buy-in at the highest levels of government, it’s clear nothing is off the table. 

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