Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly gave direct orders for a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2024, a BBC report revealed.
The audio, which is key evidence for the prosecution and was leaked online, is said to contain Hasina’s voice giving instructions to security forces. In a recording dated July 18, 2024, the voice alleged to be Hasina is heard saying security forces should "use lethal weapons" against protesters and that "wherever they find (them), they will shoot".
BBC reported that audio forensics experts did not find signs of editing or manipulation in the recording. They also concluded it was "highly unlikely to have been synthetically generated".
Hasina's Awami League party, however, denied that its leaders are responsible for the force used against protesters.
"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," an Awami League spokesperson was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"The decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life."
The party was quoted as saying by the news agency AFP instead that "breakdowns in discipline among some members of the security forces on the ground in response to instances of violence led to (a) regrettable loss of life".
Between July and August 2024, an estimated 1,400 people were killed in Bangladesh, according to the United Nations, during the crackdown ordered by Hasina’s government.
Hasina, who is 77, left for India as a student-led protest movement gained strength. She has not returned to Dhaka, where her trial in absentia began on June 1 this year, involving charges linked to crimes against humanity.
The leaked audio, said to be a conversation between Hasina and an unnamed senior government official, is being seen as significant evidence that she directly approved the use of force against anti-government demonstrators.
The protests in Bangladesh originally began over job quotas in the civil services for families of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence. The movement expanded into widespread demonstrations that eventually removed Hasina, who had been Prime Minister for 15 years.
According to reports, August 5 was one of the deadliest days. Hasina left by helicopter just before protesters entered her residence in Dhaka. The unrest has been described as the most serious in Bangladesh since the 1971 war.
The audio, which is key evidence for the prosecution and was leaked online, is said to contain Hasina’s voice giving instructions to security forces. In a recording dated July 18, 2024, the voice alleged to be Hasina is heard saying security forces should "use lethal weapons" against protesters and that "wherever they find (them), they will shoot".
BBC reported that audio forensics experts did not find signs of editing or manipulation in the recording. They also concluded it was "highly unlikely to have been synthetically generated".
Hasina's Awami League party, however, denied that its leaders are responsible for the force used against protesters.
"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," an Awami League spokesperson was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"The decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life."
The party was quoted as saying by the news agency AFP instead that "breakdowns in discipline among some members of the security forces on the ground in response to instances of violence led to (a) regrettable loss of life".
Between July and August 2024, an estimated 1,400 people were killed in Bangladesh, according to the United Nations, during the crackdown ordered by Hasina’s government.
Hasina, who is 77, left for India as a student-led protest movement gained strength. She has not returned to Dhaka, where her trial in absentia began on June 1 this year, involving charges linked to crimes against humanity.
The leaked audio, said to be a conversation between Hasina and an unnamed senior government official, is being seen as significant evidence that she directly approved the use of force against anti-government demonstrators.
The protests in Bangladesh originally began over job quotas in the civil services for families of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence. The movement expanded into widespread demonstrations that eventually removed Hasina, who had been Prime Minister for 15 years.
According to reports, August 5 was one of the deadliest days. Hasina left by helicopter just before protesters entered her residence in Dhaka. The unrest has been described as the most serious in Bangladesh since the 1971 war.
You may also like
'He died trying to save village': Eyewitness recalls scattered remains, a diary, and a pilot's last act of bravery during fighter jet crash
Toto Wolff's angry Christian Horner statement after investigation into his wife
Japanese man's flat-hunting struggles in Gurugram strike a chord online. Netizens cheer him on amid Dosa and Lassi break
Make in India booster: Samsung India begins pre orders for Galaxy Z Fold7, Flip7
Disabled will lose £3,000 a year in 'stain on the Labour Party' welfare plans, MPs told
