Ex-Bangladesh leader authorised deadly crackdown, leaked audio suggests | BBC News

A deadly crackdown on student‑led protests in Bangladesh last year was authorised by then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to audio of one of her phone calls verified by BBC Eye. In the audio, which was leaked online in March, Hasina says she authorised her security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters and that wherever they find them, they will shoot. Prosecutors in Bangladesh plan to use the recording as crucial evidence against Hasina, who is being tried in absentia at a special tribunal for crimes against humanity. Up to 1,400 people died in last summer's unrest, according to UN investigators.