Zulkarnain Saer Khan

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Zulkarnain Saer Khan
জুলকারনাইন সায়ের খান
Zulkarnain Saer Khan in 2022.png
Khan in 2025, in the British Museum
NationalityBangladeshi
Other namesSami [1]
OccupationJournalist
Known forInvestigative journalism
Notable work All the Prime Minister's Men
Movement Student–People's uprising (online activism)
AwardsGlobal Shining Light Awards (2023)

Zulkarnain Saer KhanSami is a U.K.-based exiled Bangladeshi journalist [2] [3] and a member of Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit . [4] [5] He is a researcher at Organized Crime and Corruption Project Reporting. [6] [7] He had risen to fame after working on and appearing in Al Jazeera's widely discussed 2021 documentary All the Prime Minister's Men . [8] He won Global Shining Light Awards at GIJC23 by Global Investigative Journalism Network for his work at Secret prisoners of Dhaka. [9]

Contents

Career

Khan is working with several prominent media organisations worldwide, including Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit (I-Unit), [10] Netra News, Haaretz, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project to produce comprehensive investigative reports on Bangladesh. [2] [11]

In 2021, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of the Bangladeshi police charged Zulkarnain Saer Khan alias Sami and six others in a case filed under the 2018 Digital Security Act for "spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities". [12] The Digital Security Act was alleged to be used in Bangladesh to crack down on political dissent and investigative journalism.

In March 2023, Khan's brother Mahinur Khan was beaten with iron rods by four unidentified men while out grocery shopping in the Shewrapara, a neighbourhood of Dhaka. [13] The US Embassy in Bangladesh and UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders requested a probe into alleged attack. [14]

The Minister's Millions

In September 2024, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit published a documentary on former land minister of Bangladesh Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. Zulkarnain, the lead investigator of the documentary titled The Minister's Millions said Chowdhury has built a property empire worth at least $675 million, with plush properties in the UK, the US and the UAE. [15] Authorities in Bangladesh have frozen his bank accounts and are now investigating claims that Chowdhury laundered millions of dollars into the UK. [16]

The Mother and the Monster

In May 2025, Al Jazeera published a documentary The Mother and the Monster, part of the 101 East series, which delves into Bangladesh's political landscape following the tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As a lead investigator Zulkarnain investigates the nation's trajectory after Hasina's leadership, examining the challenges and prospects that lie ahead. It features interviews with key figures, including The Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and The Chief of Army Staff Wakaruzzaman. The documentary aims to shed light on the complexities of Bangladesh's governance and the implications for its citizens in a post-Hasina era. [17]

36 Days in July: Sheikh Hasina's secret orders revealed

Khan has obtained covertly recorded phone calls that reveal how the former prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, ordered the use of lethal force to crack down on student protesters during the July Uprising in 2024. [18] This investigative programme was aired on Al Jazeera English tells the inside story of Sheikh Hasina’s final days in the summer of 2024 as a bloody protest swept through Bangladesh and ended a political dynasty. It includes eyewitness accounts, investigations, photographs, and analysis. [19]

References

  1. ↑ Saer Zulkarnain. "About" . Retrieved 8 February 2025– via Facebook.
  2. 1 2 Pieal, Jannatul Naym (30 August 2024). "Exiled journalists who endured personal sacrifices to uncover the truth". The Business Standard . Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
  3. ↑ জুলাই হামলার ১০ অনুঘটকের তথ্য প্রকাশ জুলকারনাইন শায়েরের. thedailycampus.com (in Bengali). 29 December 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  4. ↑ "Pro-uprising activists, journalists targeted in Facebook hacking spree". The Daily Star. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  5. ↑ "US Embassy expects investigation of alleged assault on journo's brother". Prothom Alo . 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  6. ↑ "Exiled Bangladeshi journalist Zulkarnain Saer Khan decries Weekly Blitz smear campaign". Committee to Protect Journalists. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  7. ↑ প্রত্যক্ষদর্শীরা কেউ ভয়ে পুলিশের সামনে নামগুলো বলেনি: সাংবাদিক জুলকারনাইন সায়ের খান (in Bengali). Voice of America. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  8. ↑ "Sequel by same group attempting to destabilise country: Bangladesh Army's rejoinder on Al Jazeera report". The Daily Star . 2 February 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ↑ Philp, Rowan (21 September 2023). "Investigations from Nigeria, Venezuela, South Africa, and North Macedonia Win Global Shining Light Awards at GIJC23". gijn.org. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Simin Rahman's Transcom Group a Mafia: Journalist Zulkarnain". Daily Sun . 30 January 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Journalists in Bangladeshi diaspora say govt targets them through transnational repression". Benar News. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  12. ↑ "Police press charges against Sami, Tasneem Khalil, Kishore, 4 others under digital security act". The Daily Star . 13 June 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  13. ↑ Ritzen, Yarno (24 March 2023). "Bangladesh investigative journalist's brother 'beaten with rods'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "UN expert, int'l orgs condemn attack on Zulkarnain's brother". The Daily Star . 25 March 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  15. ↑ "Ex-AL minister has property empire worth $675 million". The Daily Star . 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "How a Bangladesh minister spent more than $500m on luxury property". Al Jazeera . Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  17. ↑ The Mother and the Monster: After Sheikh Hasina, what's next for Bangladesh? | 101 East Documentary. Al Jazeera. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025– via YouTube.
  18. ↑ "HASINA – 36 DAYS IN JULY". Al Jazeera Media Network. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  19. ↑ Thorne, Al Jazeera Investigative Unit,Will. "'Shoot them': Sheikh Hasina ordered firing on Bangladesh protesters in 2024". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 August 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[1] [2]

  1. ↑ "Hasina: 36 Days in July". Al Jazeera Investigative Unit. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "HASINA – 36 DAYS IN JULY". Al Jazeera Media Network. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
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