Sheikh Hasina authorised deadly Bangladesh crackdown, leaked audio suggests

A deadly campaign was declared on the protests led by students in Bangladesh last year by the then Prime Minister Sheikh Husaynah, according to one of her phone calls verified by the BBC Ain.

In the voice, which was leaked online in March, Hasina says that she has authorized her security forces “using deadly weapons” against the demonstrators and “wherever they are. [them]They will shoot. “

Public Prosecutors in Bangladesh are planning to use registration as a decisive evidence against Hasina, who is being tried in the absence of a special court due to crimes against humanity.

Up to 1,400 people died last summer, according to UN investigators. Hasina, who fled to India, and her party rejected all charges against her.

A spokeswoman for her league party denied that the tape showed any “illegal intention” of “an impatient response.”

The voice that was leaked to a Hasina conversation with an unspecified senior government official is the most important evidence that it has given a direct license to shoot the anti -government demonstrators, and tens of thousands of them took the streets by last summer.

The protests against the civil service shares of relatives of those who fought in the 1971 independence war began and escalated into a mass movement that overthrew the 15 -year power. It is the worst violence in Bangladesh since the 1971 war.

Some of the bloodiest scenes occurred on August 5, on the day when she escaped an escape from a helicopter before the crowds stormed its residence in Dhaka.

The BBC World service has been established formerly reported on the police massacre of demonstrators in the capital – including a lot of death.

Hasina was at her residence in Dhaka, known as Ganabaaban, for the duration of the call that occurred on July 18.

It was a decisive moment in the demonstrations. Security officials were responding to public anger in the killing of the video, which was captured and shared on social media. In the days after the call, military class rifles were deployed and used throughout Dhaka, according to the BBC police documents.

One of the numerous calls to Sheikh Hasina, which was carried out by the BBC, is one of the numerous calls to Sheikh Hasina, which was carried out by the National Communications Control Center (NTMC), a Bangladesh governmental body responsible for observing communications.

The call sound was leaked in early March of this year – it is unclear. Since the protests, many Hasina calls have appeared on the Internet, many of which have not been verified.

The leakage of July 18 was a vote for the Criminal Investigation Department in Bangladesh Police, with a well -known voice for Sheikh Hasina’s voice.

The BBC made its independent verification by sharing the registration with the forensic forensic experts, who did not find any evidence that the speech had been edited or manipulated and said that it was unlikely to have been industrially generated.

Irchut said that the leaked recording is likely to have been taken in a room with a phone call running on a speaker, due to the presence of distinctive phone frequencies and background sounds. Earshot identifies the electrical network frequency (ENF) during the recording, a frequency often present in sound recordings due to the overlap between the main and equipment of the main energy, which is an indication that the sound has not been processed.

Earshot also analyzed the speech of Sheikh Husaynah – rhythm, intonation and breathing sounds – and identified consistent noise levels, you find no evidence of artificial creations in sound.

“Records are necessary to prove their role, and they are clearly approved, and other evidence is supported,” said Toby Kadman, a British human rights lawyer. It is recommended by the International Criminal Court in Bangladesh, and the court session cases against Hasina and others.

“We cannot confirm whether to record the tape referred to by the BBC authentic,” said Awami’s spokesman.

Besides Sheikh Hasina, government officials and former police were involved in the killing of demonstrators. A total of 203 individuals were accused by information and communications technology, including 73 of them in reservation.

BBC Eye has analyzed and verified hundreds of videos, photos and documents separating the police attacks against the demonstrators within 36 days.

The investigation found that in one incident on August 5 in Gatabari, a crowded Daka neighborhood, at least 52 people were killed by the police, making it one of the worst incidents of police violence in the history of Bangladesh. Initial reports at that time suggested 30 people in Gatabari on that day.

BBC’s investigation revealed new details about how the massacre began and ended.

By collecting eyewitnesses, CCTV and Drone Imagery, the BBC proved that the police were randomly opened fire to the demonstrators immediately after the evacuation of the army personnel, who were separating the police from the demonstrators, in the area.

For more than 30 minutes, the police shot the demonstrators while trying to escape alleys and on the highway, before police officers asked for shelter in a nearby army camp. At least six police officers were killed when the demonstrators took revenge for hours, which resulted in the shooting of the Galabari police station.

A Bangladesh police spokesman told the BBC that 60 police officers were arrested for their role in violence in July and August last year.

“There were unfortunate incidents, as some members of the police force participated in the excessive use of force,” said a spokesman. “Bangladesh police launched comprehensive and fair investigations.”

Sheikh Al -Hasinah’s trial started last month. It has been accused of crimes against humanity, including issuing orders that led to mass killings and violence against civilians, as well as incitement, conspiracy and failure to prevent mass killing.

India has so far failed to comply with Bangladesh’s request for delivery. Kadman said it is unlikely that Hasina will return to the country.

Awami asserts that its leaders are not responsible for the force used against the demonstrators.

A party spokesman said: “The Awami Association categorically denies and rejects allegations that some of its leaders, including the Prime Minister itself, were personally responsible for the use of deadly force against the crowds.”

“The decisions taken by senior government officials were proportional to nature, and they were taken in good faith and aimed to reduce the loss of lives.”

The party rejected the results of the United Nations investigators, who said they found reasonable reasons for the belief that Hasina’s actions and its government may amount to crimes against humanity.

BBC approached the Bangladesh army to comment, but she did not receive a response.

Since the fall of Hasinah, Bangladesh has been ruled by a temporary government led by Mohamed Younis, winner of the Nobel Prize.

His government is preparing for the national elections. It is not clear whether the Awami League will be allowed to vote.