Verified Hasina Phone Clip to Strengthen Trial Transparency: Tribunal Prosecutor
The international verification of a leaked audio recording in which Sheikh Hasina is heard instructing security forces to open fire indiscriminately will enhance transparency in the ongoing war crimes trial, said Gazi M H Tamim, prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal. He also confirmed that the document will be formally submitted to the court as evidence.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, July 9, Prosecutor Tamim referred to the recent BBC verification of the controversial audio call, where the former Prime Minister allegedly ordered the use of lethal force against protesters during the student-led uprising in July 2024.
“Several audio recordings attributed to Sheikh Hasina have already been examined by the police's Crimes Investigation Team, and forensic analysis confirmed their authenticity. Now, with an international organization independently verifying the recording, the report will become a crucial piece of evidence in proving the charges,” Tamim said.
He added that on Thursday, July 10, International Crimes Tribunal-1 is expected to deliver its decision on whether to frame charges against Sheikh Hasina in the murder case. The two other accused are former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
“If the court issues an order to frame charges, the verified phone conversation will be presented as a key document alongside other pieces of evidence,” Tamim stated.
Earlier on Tuesday, the BBC confirmed in a detailed investigative report that the leaked phone call, allegedly made by Sheikh Hasina from her official residence Ganabhaban on July 18, 2024, was authentic. In the call, Hasina is heard instructing an unidentified senior official to "use lethal weapons if necessary" and to "shoot wherever you find them"—referring to anti-government protesters.
According to the BBC, the audio was recorded by Bangladesh’s state surveillance agency, the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), and was later leaked in March this year.
