Sheikh Hasina ordered shooting at protesters: BBC finds authenticity of leaked audio

In July last year, ousted Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina ordered the use of lethal weapons on protesters. BBC I has confirmed the authenticity of such an audio recording. The audio of a conversation between Sheikh Hasina and an unidentified senior government official was leaked online in March last year, which is a record of an audio call on July 18 last year. In this audio recording, Sheikh Hasina can be heard ordering the use of lethal weapons on protesters and shooting wherever protesters are found. The BBC audio forensics expert team verified the record through Airshot. After examining various factors including tone of voice, breathing sounds, it was confirmed that no part of the call was edited. Airshot said that it can be assumed from the background sound that the conversation was on speaker. Lawyers are seeing this audio recording as important evidence in the ongoing crimes against humanity case against Sheikh Hasina at the special tribunal in Dhaka.