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Leaked Calls Reveal Hasina Ordered Lethal Force on Student Protesters
Leaked audio exposes former PM Sheikh Hasina ordering lethal force on student protesters. 1,400 killed, 20,000 injured. Trial for crimes against humanity begins August.
ND
by News Desk
2025-07-24
Leaked Calls Reveal Hasina Ordered Lethal Force on Student Protesters

Explosive recordings obtained by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) have revealed that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina allegedly ordered the use of lethal force against student protesters during mass demonstrations in 2024. The revelation comes amid charges of crimes against humanity against Hasina and senior officials, with her trial set to begin in August.

In secretly recorded phone calls, Hasina is heard telling Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh that she had issued an “open order” to her forces:

“They will use lethal weapons, shoot wherever they find them,” she said, according to a recording dated July 18, 2024, captured by the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC).

The recordings, authenticated by audio forensic experts, are expected to be key evidence in the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) case against her.

 

📉 Violent Crackdown Turns Deadly

According to the ICT, the violent crackdown on student protests resulted in nearly 1,400 deaths and over 20,000 injuries, marking one of the deadliest political repressions in Bangladesh’s modern history. Many of the injured were students shot from helicopters, a claim supported by emergency doctor Shabir Sharif, who reported unusual bullet wounds from overhead fire near his hospital in Dhaka.

Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 consecutive years, reportedly resigned and fled to India on August 5, 2024, following weeks of nationwide unrest and mounting international pressure.

 

⚖️ Crimes Against Humanity Charges

The ICT formally indicted Hasina, along with two top officials, on July 10, charging them with crimes against humanity. Prosecutor Tajul Islam said Hasina was aware her calls were being recorded.

“She knew the NTMC was recording her conversations. When cautioned by allies, she responded, ‘Yes, I know, it is being recorded, no problem.’”

The NTMC, part of Hasina’s vast surveillance system, has been accused of spying not just on opposition figures, but even on her own allies.

 

💥 Trigger Point: Death of Student Protester Abu Sayed

The student movement began peacefully in June 2024, opposing the reintroduction of a controversial quota system that reserved state jobs for families of 1971 war veterans, perceived to benefit ruling party loyalists.

On July 16, student Abu Sayed was shot dead by police in Rangpur, triggering national outrage. Later, a leaked call between Salman F Rahman, Hasina’s economics adviser, and police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun revealed efforts to manipulate Sayed’s postmortem report.

Rangpur Medical’s Dr Rajibul Islam told Al Jazeera that he was pressured to falsify the report five times, forced to omit mention of multiple bullet wounds.

 

🎥 Orchestrated Public Apology Backfires

Sayed’s family and relatives of other slain protesters were coerced into attending a televised event at Hasina’s official residence. On camera, Hasina offered money and promised justice.

But in a chilling rebuke, Sayed’s sister, Sumi Khatun, replied:

“It was shown in the video that the police shot him. What is there to investigate? Coming here was a mistake.”

 

🛑 Awami League Denial

The Awami League, Hasina’s party, denied the allegations, claiming the audio recordings are “cherry-picked, doctored or both.” A party spokesperson insisted that Hasina never used the term “lethal weapons”, and the government's efforts to investigate Sayed’s death were “genuine.”

 

 
Tagged:

BangladeshProtests

HasinaLeaks

StudentMovement2024

AbuSayed
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