A deadly crackdown on student-led protests in Bangladesh last year was directly authorised by then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to a BBC report that cites an investiged leaked phone call.
Sheikh Hasina Authorized Use Of Lethal Weapons Against Bangladeshi Protesters
The audio surfaced online in March and Hasina is heard instructing her security forces to “use lethal weapons” against protesters, stating, “wherever they find [them], they will shoot.”
The audio is now set to play a key role in legal proceedings, as prosecutors in Bangladesh plan to use it as crucial evidence against Hasina. She is being tried in absentia at a special tribunal for crimes against humanity.
1,400 Killed in Bangladesh Unrest When Sheikh Hasina Was PM: UN Investigators
The UN estimates that up to 1,400 people died during last summer’s unrest, sparked by mass protests led by students and opposition groups. Hasina, who fled to India, and her political party, the Awami League, have denied all charges.
BBC quoting a spokesperson for the Awami League rejected claims that the audio demonstrated any “unlawful intention” or “disproportionate response” on Hasina’s part.
What is Sheikh Hasina Saying in The Call Recording?
In the leaked call recording Hasina can be heard speaking with an unidentified senior government official.
BBC quotes a source familiar with the audio, saying, Hasina made the call from her residence in Dhaka, known as the Ganabhaban, on 18 July, when the protests were ongoing. against police shooting protesters.
BBC Verification Confirm Authenticity of Sheikh Hasina Audio
The Bangladesh Police’s Criminal Investigation Department voice-matched the leaked audio with known recordings of Hasina’s voice.
The BBC also carried out its own verification by working with Earshot, an audio forensics firm. Earshot found no evidence of editing or manipulation and stated that it was highly unlikely the recording was synthetically generated.
Earshot’s analysis according to BBC indicated that the recording was likely captured by playing back the phone call on a speaker in a room, as shown by distinctive telephonic frequencies and background sounds. They also detected Electric Network Frequency (ENF) throughout the audio—a telltale sign of genuine recordings—confirming the absence of manipulation.
The firm also examined Hasina’s speech patterns, including rhythm, intonation, breath sounds, and background noise levels, finding no synthetic artefacts in the clip.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
