Al Jazeera Investigates

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

A scandal over antisemitism in the UK Labour Party engulfs the final months of Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader. But, as The Labour Files show, the facts don’t match the public narrative that sets in following a brutal, internal conflict and the broadcast of a controversial BBC documentary.

Jeremy Corbyn’s surprise election as UK Labour leader in 2015 ignites a vicious internal war within the Party. The left flank has the people but the right flank has the power. The Labour Files, a massive leak of internal documents, reveal how Corbyn’s opponents within the party manoeuvered to disable him as the Labour leader – abandoning democracy in the process.

When Al Jazeera's I-Unit released its investigation into sexual misconduct against women at British Universities in late 2021, it created a storm on social media. But after the revelations, has anything changed? In this episode, Degrees of Abuse: The Impact, we find out what’s happened to the four male academics accused of abuse. We also hear from women in each case about how it felt to finally hear the names made public and what kind of response they've received. *Please note some listeners may find these accounts upsetting. 

The PhD student at Glasgow University was charismatic and charming and part of his appeal was his tragic past. But his relationships with several women became abusive and controlling.  As our investigation dug deeper into his history in his home country, we uncovered his lies and the real story of his murdered wife. *Please note some listeners may find these accounts upsetting.