Sheikh Hasina Gave "Shoot" Orders During Deadly Bangladesh Protests: Report
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered security forces to "shoot" at students during last year's mass protests, according to a leaked phone call authenticated by the BBC. In the recording, Hasina is heard authorising the use of lethal weapons against demonstrators, saying, "Wherever they find [them], they will shoot."
The phone call, made on 18 July 2024 from her official residence in Dhaka, captures Hasina saying, "I have ordered all of them to be arrested tonight. Everyone has been informed, wherever you find them, catch them. I have issued an open order. Now, they will use lethal weapons. Wherever they find [them], they will shoot."
The protests, which began over civil service job quotas, quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising that ultimately forced Hasina from power. UN investigators say as many as 1,400 people were killed during the crackdown, the deadliest wave of political violence in the country since the 1971 war.
The phone call came at a moment in the unrest, when public outrage was growing over police killings of protesters, circulating on social media.
Prosecutors in Bangladesh plan to use the leaked audio as key evidence in Hasina's ongoing trial in absentia for crimes against humanity. The conversation is the clearest indication yet that Hasina directly authorised lethal force against unarmed protesters, many of them students.
One of the worst massacres occurred on 5 August in Dhaka's Jatrabari neighbourhood, where police opened fire indiscriminately after the army withdrew from the area. At least 52 people were killed, according to newly uncovered evidence, far higher than earlier reports suggested.
Hasina is charged with crimes against humanity, including incitement, conspiracy, and issuing orders that led to mass killings. She fled to India just before her government collapsed. Despite a request from Dhaka, India has not extradited her, and legal experts say it is unlikely she will return to face trial.
Alongside Hasina, 203 individuals, including former police and government officials, have been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT), with 73 in custody.
Since Hasina's ouster, Bangladesh has been under an interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who is now preparing the country for national elections.
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