A deadly crackdown on student-led protests in Bangladesh last year was authorised by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to an audio recording of a phone call verified by BBC Eye, reports BBC.
In the audio, leaked online in March, Hasina is heard saying she authorised security forces to “use lethal weapons” against demonstrators, saying that “wherever they find [them], they will shoot”, states the BBC report.
According to UN investigators, up to 1,400 people were killed during the July uprising last year. Hasina, who has fled to India, and her party deny all charges against her.
BBC says that a spokesperson of Awami League said the recording did not indicate any “unlawful intention” or a “disproportionate response”.
The leaked audio of Hasina’s conversation with an unidentified senior government official is the most substantial evidence to date that she directly authorised security forces to open fire on anti-government protesters, the BBC report said.
The BBC World Service investigation, in collaboration with BBC Bangla, revealed previously unreported details of a police-led massacre in Dhaka, including a significantly higher death toll.
According to a source with knowledge of the leaked recording, Hasina was at her residence, Gono Bhaban during the phone call, which took place on July 18.
Police documents seen by the BBC show that military-grade rifles were subsequently deployed across Dhaka in the days following the call, the BBC reported.
According to the BBC, the recording is one of several involving Sheikh Hasina that were made by the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC).
The source of the leak remains unknown. Since the protests, multiple clips of Hasina’s phone calls have surfaced online, many of them unverified.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Bangladesh Police confirmed that the July 18 recording matched known audio samples of Sheikh Hasina’s voice.
The BBC also conducted its own independent verification, sharing the recording with audio forensics experts at Earshot, an audio visual-equipment supplier in England. The analysts found no evidence of tampering or manipulation and said the speech was highly unlikely to have been synthetically generated.
Earshot concluded the recording was likely made in a room with the phone call played back on speaker, citing distinctive telephonic frequencies and background noise. They also identified Electric Network Frequency (ENF) throughout the recording, a frequency that’s often present in audio recordings due to interference between a recording device and mains-powered equipment, an indicator that the audio has not been manipulated.
Further analysis of Hasina’s speech patterns, including rhythm, intonation and breath sounds, revealed no synthetic artefacts, and consistent background noise levels, finds the BBC investigation.
“The recordings are critical for establishing her role. They are clear, properly authenticated, and supported by other evidence,” British international human rights barrister Toby Cadman told the BBC.
Cadman is advising the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT).
An Awami League spokesperson told the BBC, “We cannot confirm whether the tape recording referenced by the BBC is authentic.”
Alongside Sheikh Hasina, former government and police officials have also been implicated in the killings.
BBC Eye analysed and verified hundreds of videos, images and documents detailing police attacks on demonstrators over 36 days.
According to the BBC report, in one incident on August 5 last year, in the Jatrabari area of Dhaka, the investigation found at least 52 people were killed by police. Initial reports at the time suggested 30 dead in Jatrabari on that day.
The BBC investigation uncovered new details of the incident by compiling eyewitness videos, CCTV footage and drone imagery. It found that police opened fire indiscriminately after army personnel, who had been keeping them separated from protesters, vacated the area.
For more than half an hour, police fired at fleeing demonstrators attempting to escape through alleyways and onto highways. Officers later retreated to a nearby army camp. Protesters retaliated hours later, reportedly killing at least six police officers and setting fire to the Jatrabari Police Station.
A spokesperson for the Bangladesh Police told the BBC that 60 officers had been arrested over the violence in July and August last year.
“There were regrettable incidents in which certain members of the then police force engaged in excessive use of force,” the spokesperson said.
“Bangladesh Police has launched thorough and impartial investigations.”
“The Awami League categorically denies and rejects claims that some of its senior leaders, including the prime minister herself, were personally responsible for or directed the use of lethal force against crowds,” a party spokesperson said.
“The decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life.”
The BBC said it had approached the Bangladesh Army for comment but received no response.
