A leaked phone call allegedly capturing former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructing security forces to “use lethal weapons” on anti-government protesters is now central to a war crimes tribunal against her, according to a BBC report.
The recording, that BBC claims to have verified independently and forensically, features Hasina speaking to a senior official from her official residence, the Ganabhaban, on July 18, 2024 – just days before a deadly crackdown that left up to 1,400 people dead. The unrest, sparked by outrage over civil service job quotas, led to the collapse of Hasina’s 15-year rule and her subsequent flight to India in August.
Hasina is now being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity by a special tribunal in Dhaka. Her party, the Awami League, has denied the charges and challenged the authenticity of the leaked call. A spokesperson for Hasina said the recording does not reflect any “unlawful intention” or “disproportionate response.”
However, the BBC’s forensic review claims to have found no signs of editing or artificial manipulation, while Bangladesh’s own Criminal Investigation Department had earlier voice-matched the audio to Hasina.
Military-grade weapons were deployed in the streets of Dhaka in the days following the phone call, and the violence peaked on August 5, the day Hasina reportedly fled the country, just as protesters stormed her residence.
The BBC report, which includes interviews and access to previously unreleased government documents, suggests the actual death toll in Dhaka was significantly higher than what officials had acknowledged at the time.
According to the BBC, the leaked call is one of several recorded by Bangladesh’s National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre. Human rights lawyer Toby Cadman, who is advising the International Criminal Tribunal of Bangladesh, told the outlet: “The recordings are critical for establishing her role, they are clear and have been properly authenticated, and are supported by other evidence.”
Prosecutors are expected to heavily rely on the tapes to prove criminal responsibility for the deadly crackdown. Still, the Awami League insists it cannot verify the audio’s legitimacy. “We cannot confirm whether the tape recording referenced by the BBC is authentic,” a party spokesperson said.
As the tribunal proceeds, the leaked audio is shaping up to be a pivotal turning point in Bangladesh’s reckoning with the events of 2024.
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