Our team consists of experienced researchers and investigators with background in international human rights law, open-source investigations, journalism, and media research. In addition to team members listed below, we work with a wide network of specialists and experts in criminal law, archiving, forensics, UN procedures, and other related fields.
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya is the executive director at Tech Global Institute, and a computational social scientist specializing in technology governance and human rights in the Global Majority. With over 18 years of experience, her work focuses on the intersection of algorithmic accountability, data governance, and the sociopolitical and human rights impacts of emerging technologies. Diya started her career as a journalist in Dhaka, and has led multiple efforts on democracy, digital rights and social justice in Bangladesh and worldwide. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Data Science from UC Berkeley, and is a visiting policy fellow at the University of Oxford. Diya’s work has been published and quoted by The Financial Times, Wired, BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Rest of World and several international and regional media.
Sams Wahid Shahat is a researcher at Tech Global Institute specializing in information integrity and digital forensics. He serves as the project coordinator of the Monsoon Revolution Archive, where he documents and verifies evidence of human rights violations during Bangladesh’s 2024 July Uprising. Sams began his career at FactWatch—Bangladesh’s first verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). At Tech Global Institute, he leads on archival planning and partnerships, and contributes to media analysis, internet research, and open-source investigations to strengthen efforts around truth, justice, and accountability in the Global Majority.
Apon Das is an experienced media and information researcher and fact-checker. His research interests include media literacy, fact-checking methodology, mis/disinformation, and media representation. He has written a book on introducing fact-checking as a media literacy intervention for the Bengali-speaking communities. Apon received his BSS in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and an M.Sc. in Anthropology from the University of Delhi. He began his career as a fact-checker at FactWatch, Bangladesh's first verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). Now, he is working as a researcher and digital forensic investigator at Tech Global Institute, a policy lab with a mission to reduce equity and accountability gaps between technology platforms and the Global South. He contributed to the Monsoon Protests Archive by collecting and verifying data, conducting open-source investigations, and supporting the planning of archival processes that played a key role in reconstructing the chronology of events and preserving evidence in pursuit of truth, justice, and accountability. He can be reached at:
Mohammad Arafat is an information integrity researcher at Tech Global Institute. His work also involves open-source investigation within the Monsoon Protests Archive. He collects, verifies, analyzes, and preserves digital evidence of atrocities and human rights abuses committed during the July Uprising in Bangladesh. Arafat completed his open-source investigation training provided by Bellingcat, an investigative journalism organization specializing in open-source intelligence. His expertise encompasses media and information literacy, fact-checking, and understanding and combating coordinated disinformation efforts. Arafat is a graduate of Media Studies and Journalism at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
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Arafat is an experienced software engineer with a strong background in web application development. Over the years, he has worked on a wide range of projects, from large-scale fintech platforms to government service portals.
