Leaked Audio Suggests Ex-Bangladesh Leader Authorized Deadly Crackdown on Protests
Then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina allegedly authorized security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters, according to leaked audio verified by the BBC.
DHAKA — A deadly crackdown on student-led protests in Bangladesh last year was reportedly authorized by then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to audio of one of her phone calls verified by BBC Eye.
In the leaked audio, which was published online in March, Hasina allegedly said she gave her security forces permission to 'use lethal weapons' against protesters and that they should 'shoot' wherever they found them.
Prosecutors in Bangladesh plan to use this recording as evidence against Hasina, who is being tried in absentia at a special tribunal for crimes against humanity.
The exact number of casualties remains disputed, but UN investigators have estimated up to 1,400 deaths during the unrest last summer.
Hasina, currently in India, and her Awami League party reject all charges.
An Awami League spokesperson denied any unlawful intent or disproportionate response.
The leaked audio is considered significant evidence that directly implicates Hasina in authorizing the shooting of anti-government protesters, who had taken to the streets in their tens of thousands.
The protests initially stemmed from demands for civil service job quotas for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence and escalated into a mass movement that ultimately led to Hasina's ousting after 15 years in power.
This marked the worst violence Bangladesh had seen since the 1971 war, culminating in particularly bloodthirsty scenes on August 5 when Hasina fled by helicopter as crowds stormed her residence in Dhaka.
The BBC World Service investigation also uncovered previously unreported details about a police massacre of protesters in the capital, including a significantly higher death toll than initially reported.
On July 18, during a crucial moment in the protests, Hasina authorized the use of military-grade rifles, according to police documents reviewed by the BBC.
This decision came after public outrage over video-recorded killings of protesters that were widely shared on social media.
The leaked audio was obtained by Bangladesh's National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC) and later leaked online in March.
While its authenticity has not been confirmed, voice matching conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department within the Bangladesh Police verified it as Hasina's voice.
Independent audio forensics experts from Earshot analyzed the recording and determined that there was no evidence of editing or manipulation and concluded that it is highly unlikely to be synthetic.
Additionally, distinctive telephonic frequencies and background sounds were present, consistent with the recording being made in a room where a speaker played back the phone call, and Electric Network Frequency (ENF) was identified throughout the audio.
This further supports the authenticity of the recording.
British international human rights barrister Toby Cadman, who advises Bangladesh's International Criminal Tribunal (ICT), stated that these recordings are critical for establishing Hasina's role in the events and have been properly authenticated.
Alongside Hasina, several former government and police officials face charges related to the killings of protesters.
A total of 203 individuals have been indicted by the ICT, with 73 currently in custody.
The BBC Eye analyzed hundreds of videos, images, and documents detailing police attacks against demonstrators across 36 days.
One of the most brutal incidents occurred on August 5 in Jatrabari, a busy neighborhood in Dhaka, where at least 52 people were killed by the police.
Initially, reports suggested only 30 deaths in Jatrabari that day.
New details about this massacre emerged from eyewitness footage, CCTV, and drone imagery obtained by BBC Eye.
Police opened fire on protesters as soon as army personnel, who had been separating the police from the crowds, vacated the area.
For over 30 minutes, police continued to shoot at fleeing protesters down alleyways and on the highway before seeking shelter in a nearby army camp.
Six police officers were also killed by protesters hours later, leading to the setting fire of the Jatrabari police station.
A spokesperson for the Bangladesh Police acknowledged that 60 police officers had been arrested for their role in the violence that occurred last July and August.
The Awami League maintains its leaders' innocence, denying any personal responsibility or direction of lethal force against crowds.
They claim that senior government officials' decisions were proportionate and made with good intentions to minimize loss of life.
The party has also rejected findings from UN investigators who stated they found reasonable grounds to believe Hasina's actions could amount to crimes against humanity.
Since Hasina's removal, Bangladesh has been under an interim government led by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
This government is preparing for upcoming national elections, with uncertainty surrounding whether the Awami League will be allowed to participate.
— BBC
In the leaked audio, which was published online in March, Hasina allegedly said she gave her security forces permission to 'use lethal weapons' against protesters and that they should 'shoot' wherever they found them.
Prosecutors in Bangladesh plan to use this recording as evidence against Hasina, who is being tried in absentia at a special tribunal for crimes against humanity.
The exact number of casualties remains disputed, but UN investigators have estimated up to 1,400 deaths during the unrest last summer.
Hasina, currently in India, and her Awami League party reject all charges.
An Awami League spokesperson denied any unlawful intent or disproportionate response.
The leaked audio is considered significant evidence that directly implicates Hasina in authorizing the shooting of anti-government protesters, who had taken to the streets in their tens of thousands.
The protests initially stemmed from demands for civil service job quotas for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence and escalated into a mass movement that ultimately led to Hasina's ousting after 15 years in power.
This marked the worst violence Bangladesh had seen since the 1971 war, culminating in particularly bloodthirsty scenes on August 5 when Hasina fled by helicopter as crowds stormed her residence in Dhaka.
The BBC World Service investigation also uncovered previously unreported details about a police massacre of protesters in the capital, including a significantly higher death toll than initially reported.
On July 18, during a crucial moment in the protests, Hasina authorized the use of military-grade rifles, according to police documents reviewed by the BBC.
This decision came after public outrage over video-recorded killings of protesters that were widely shared on social media.
The leaked audio was obtained by Bangladesh's National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC) and later leaked online in March.
While its authenticity has not been confirmed, voice matching conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department within the Bangladesh Police verified it as Hasina's voice.
Independent audio forensics experts from Earshot analyzed the recording and determined that there was no evidence of editing or manipulation and concluded that it is highly unlikely to be synthetic.
Additionally, distinctive telephonic frequencies and background sounds were present, consistent with the recording being made in a room where a speaker played back the phone call, and Electric Network Frequency (ENF) was identified throughout the audio.
This further supports the authenticity of the recording.
British international human rights barrister Toby Cadman, who advises Bangladesh's International Criminal Tribunal (ICT), stated that these recordings are critical for establishing Hasina's role in the events and have been properly authenticated.
Alongside Hasina, several former government and police officials face charges related to the killings of protesters.
A total of 203 individuals have been indicted by the ICT, with 73 currently in custody.
The BBC Eye analyzed hundreds of videos, images, and documents detailing police attacks against demonstrators across 36 days.
One of the most brutal incidents occurred on August 5 in Jatrabari, a busy neighborhood in Dhaka, where at least 52 people were killed by the police.
Initially, reports suggested only 30 deaths in Jatrabari that day.
New details about this massacre emerged from eyewitness footage, CCTV, and drone imagery obtained by BBC Eye.
Police opened fire on protesters as soon as army personnel, who had been separating the police from the crowds, vacated the area.
For over 30 minutes, police continued to shoot at fleeing protesters down alleyways and on the highway before seeking shelter in a nearby army camp.
Six police officers were also killed by protesters hours later, leading to the setting fire of the Jatrabari police station.
A spokesperson for the Bangladesh Police acknowledged that 60 police officers had been arrested for their role in the violence that occurred last July and August.
The Awami League maintains its leaders' innocence, denying any personal responsibility or direction of lethal force against crowds.
They claim that senior government officials' decisions were proportionate and made with good intentions to minimize loss of life.
The party has also rejected findings from UN investigators who stated they found reasonable grounds to believe Hasina's actions could amount to crimes against humanity.
Since Hasina's removal, Bangladesh has been under an interim government led by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
This government is preparing for upcoming national elections, with uncertainty surrounding whether the Awami League will be allowed to participate.
— BBC
