Rogena Akter (Rozina Islam)

Rogena Akter (Rozina Islam)

Rogena Akter, who writes under the pen name Rozina Islam, is an award-winning investigative journalist from Bangladesh. She currently serves as the California Correspondent for Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s largest-circulated daily, and has more than two decades of experience in journalism.

Her investigative reporting has exposed corruption and abuse of power and contributed to significant public accountability. A 2014 investigation into fraudulent freedom fighter certificates led to the dismissal of six high-ranking government officials. In 2016, Akter's reporting on forged state honors for foreign allies earned international recognition.

In 2021, Akter was arrested under Bangladesh’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act after reporting on corruption and mismanagement in the country’s health sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was detained and later incarcerated for nearly a week. Her arrest sparked nationwide protests and international condemnation. That year, she received the Free Press Award as the “Most Resilient Journalist.”

Akter describes her Alfred Friendly experience as an intensive and transformative period of professional growth: “Throughout this experience, I strengthened my skills in investigative reporting, data journalism, public records research, and in-depth storytelling.”