DHAKA: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directly ordered security forces to use deadly force during last year’s mass student-led protests, according to a leaked phone call verified by BBC Eye.
In the recording, which surfaced online in March, Hasina is heard authorizing the use of lethal weapons against demonstrators, reportedly instructing that “wherever they find [them], they will shoot.”
The leaked call is now considered key evidence by prosecutors who are trying Hasina in absentia at a special tribunal for crimes against humanity.
The protests, which began over civil service job quotas favoring families of 1971 war veterans, escalated into a nationwide movement that eventually forced Hasina from power after 15 years in office.
United Nations investigators estimate that up to 1,400 people were killed during the unrest—the deadliest in Bangladesh since its war of independence.
Hasina, who fled to India, and her Awami League party deny all allegations. A party spokesperson claimed the leaked tape does not prove unlawful intent or an excessive response by authorities.
The BBC reports that the conversation, believed to be between Hasina and a senior official, was recorded on July 18, 2024, at the height of the protests.
At the time, she was reportedly at her official residence in Dhaka, the Ganabhaban. The call took place as anger over the police killings of protesters spread online, prompting authorities to deploy military-grade rifles in the capital, according to police records reviewed by the BBC.
The recording is one of several intercepted calls involving Hasina, gathered by the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC), Bangladesh’s state surveillance agency.
While many recordings have appeared online since the protests, the BBC independently verified this particular audio with forensic analysis by Earshot, an expert audio lab. Their review found no evidence of tampering or synthetic manipulation.
Earshot also confirmed the presence of consistent ambient sounds and electric frequency interference typical of unedited recordings. Furthermore, Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department matched the voice in the call to that of Hasina, strengthening the authenticity of the evidence.
The crackdown reached a peak on August 5, when Hasina reportedly fled by helicopter as protesters stormed her residence. According to the BBC’s investigation, police massacres in the capital were more severe than previously documented, and the leaked call provides unprecedented insight into Hasina’s involvement in the violent suppression.
(Source: BBC)
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