A leaked audio recording verified by BBC Eye reveals that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina authorised lethal force against student-led protesters during last year’s deadly unrest. In the recording, Hasina is heard instructing security forces to use lethal weapons and to shoot wherever protesters are found. The protests, initially sparked by opposition to civil service job quotas, escalated into a mass movement that led to Hasina's ousting in July 2024, after fifteen years in power. According to UN investigators, up to 1,400 people were killed in what became Bangladesh’s deadliest violence since its 1971 independence war. The leaked call, which has been authenticated by audio forensics experts, occurred on 18 July, as outrage grew over video evidence of police killings. Hasina, now in exile in India, faces charges of crimes against humanity in a special tribunal. The recording is considered a key piece of evidence in the proceedings.