‘Shoot wherever they find’: How Bangladesh ex-PM Sheikh Hasina ordered deadly crackdown on student-led protests

The directive by the former Bangladeshi prime minister was given during her phone call with a senior government official on July 18 from her official residence in Dhaka, which is also known as Ganabhaban.

Hours after the call, security forces in Dhaka used military-grade rifles that killed at least 1,400 people, reported BBC, citing police documents.

However, a spokesperson of Hasina’s Awami League denied that the tape showed any “unlawful intention” of “disproportionate response”.

A UK-based human rights advocate advising Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) said that the audio recording was significant evidence in establishing Hasina’s role in the killing of the protesters.

“The recordings are critical for establishing her role, they are clear and have been properly authenticated, and are supported by other evidence,” Toby Cadman told the BBC.

Bangladesh’s political landscape saw a major upheaval when student-led protests against a government job quota system escalated to violent clashes and unrest that forced the then-prime minister, Hasina, to flee to India, putting an end to her 15-year rule.

Following her dramatic ouster, the military declared it would form an interim government, which is now helmed by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Hasina charged with crimes against humanity in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal charged Hasina with crimes against humanity, alleging her role in ordering mass killings during a nationwide uprising in July.

The charges, submitted by Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam and his team, accuse Hasina of being the chief instigator behind the violent crackdown that unfolded during the July and August unrest, according to The Dhaka Tribune.

“The evidence points clearly to her role in directing the operation,” Islam told The Dhaka Tribune following the filing “This was a coordinated attack on civilians, and she bears command responsibility.”

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