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Draft:Arafatul Islam

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Arafatul Islam (Bengali: আরাফাতুল ইসলাম) is a Bangladeshi-German media professional[1] mainly known for his in-depth work as a multimedia journalist at Deutsche Well (DW), Germany's international broadcaster. Mr. Islam, also known as Arafat, joined[2] DW's Bonn office in January 2008 and has since reported on issues related to South Asian politics, human rights, and migration, with a particular focus on Bangladesh.

Arafatul Islam, along with three other DW journalists named Christian Caurla, Birgitta Schülke and Naomi Conrad, have won the Human Rights Press Award 2024,[3] one of Asia's most prestigious journalism awards, for their investigative documentary titled 'Death squad': Inside Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion. The documentary is the first to provide evidence[4] of targeted killings and torture by an elite unit in Bangladesh named Rapid Action Battalion or RAB.

Arafatul Islam, Birgitta Schülke, and Naomi Conrad published a follow-up documentary to their first one earlier this year titled Why is a 'death squad' from Bangladesh allowed to go on UN missions?'[5]'. The documentary revealed that officers from an elite force in Bangladesh – the Rapid Action Battalion – that commits torture, murder, and abductions, are being sent on UN peacekeeping missions.[6]

Arafat and a member of his family have faced a massive online smear campaign[7] following the documentary by Bangladesh's pro-government media and social media accounts, which was condemned[8] by international press freedom organization The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

After the recent student-led protest in Bangladesh and the topple of its former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Arafatul Islam has conducted an exclusive interview[9] with her son and a member of her Awami League party, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, where he acknowledged[10] that she resigned from the position of prime minister and fled to India.

Arafat is the first journalist to do an exclusive multilingual video interview[11] with the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, after he took office in August 2024. The interview's content has been published by many newspapers around the world.

References

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  1. ^ "Media Professional Definition". Law Insider.
  2. ^ "Arafatul Islam – DW". dw.com.
  3. ^ "2024 Winners – HRPA".
  4. ^ "Press Award goes to DW documentary about death squad – DW – 05/10/2024". dw.com.
  5. ^ "Why is a 'death squad' from Bangladesh allowed to go on UN missions? | DW Documentary". May 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Correspondent, Staff (May 23, 2024). "Rights violation can result in peacekeepers' non-deployment, repatriation: UN". Prothomalo. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ "Bangladesh blasts DW report as 'false and fallacious' – DW – 05/25/2024". dw.com.
  8. ^ "x.com".
  9. ^ Report, Star Digital (August 7, 2024). "Hasina hasn't decided yet on her next destination: Joy". The Daily Star.
  10. ^ "ডয়চে ভেলেকে যা বললেন সজীব ওয়াজেদ জয় | DW | Sajeeb Wazed | BanglaVision". August 7, 2024 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Desk, Video (September 13, 2024). "What kind of election Dr. Yunus wants to organise?". Prothomalo. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)