Leaked audio suggests Sheikh Hasina authorised security forces to shoot protestors

A BBC Eye investigation has found that the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, authorised her security forces to use lethal weapons against protestors. In a leaked audio recording which has been verified by the BBC, Hasina is heard saying she has sanctioned her security forces to shoot protesters wherever they were found. Around 1,400 people were killed and 12,000 injured in weeks of violence that rocked Bangladesh in July and August last year. Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party has denied all the claims.

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Presenters: James Copnall and Pria Rai.

(Photo: Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's oath-taking ceremony as the country's Prime Minister in Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 11, 2024. Ponir Hossain/ REUTERS).