What Does the Leaked Hasina Audio Reveal?
A newly analyzed audio recording, believed to be of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has surfaced, implicating her in the deadly suppression of 2024 protests. The BBC Eye Investigations team reviewed the leaked clip, which features a voice alleged to be Hasina instructing security forces to “use lethal weapons” against demonstrators. In the same recording, dated July 18, 2024, the voice is heard saying, “wherever they find them, they will shoot.”
According to BBC forensic analysts, there is no indication the recording was edited or altered. Experts ruled out the possibility that the voice was synthetically generated, strengthening the case against Hasina. Bangladesh police have also compared the leaked voice to verified recordings of Hasina and found a match.
What Happened During the 2024 Protests in Bangladesh?
The protests began on July 1, 2024, led by university students demanding reform to the public sector job quota system. What started as peaceful demonstrations quickly escalated. On July 16, security forces launched a brutal crackdown. According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August.
Despite winning a fourth consecutive term in a tightly controlled election, Hasina’s administration was unable to contain the uprising. By the end of August, she fled to India and refused to return to Dhaka, where her trial in absentia for crimes against humanity began in June 2025.
What Is Hasina’s Legal and Political Status Now?
Hasina’s state-appointed legal team, which admits to having no direct contact with her, has pushed to dismiss the charges. Meanwhile, her now-banned Awami League party issued a strong denial: “The party categorically denies the charges that its senior leaders, and the prime minister personally, directed the use of lethal force against crowds during the protests of last summer.”
Instead, they claimed that “breakdowns in discipline among some members of the security forces on the ground in response to instances of violence led to (a) regrettable loss of life.”
By Yockshard Enyendi