Thu Jul 24 10:18:15 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the Al Jazeera report, focusing on the key findings and their implications:

**Headline: Al Jazeera Report Alleges Former Bangladesh PM Ordered Use of Lethal Force on Protesters**

**Dhaka, Bangladesh** – Secret phone recordings obtained by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) allegedly reveal that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered security forces to use “lethal weapons” against student protesters last year. The recordings, reportedly verified by audio forensic experts, suggest Hasina instructed police to “shoot wherever they find them.”

The report details a bloody period of protests against Hasina’s government, sparked by the reinstatement of a controversial quota system favoring veterans’ families for state jobs. These protests led to clashes with government forces resulting in the deaths of nearly 1,400 people and injuring over 20,000, according to the country’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT). Hasina resigned and fled to India in August following the violence.

According to the report, in one call, Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years, said “My instructions have already been given. I’ve issued an open order completely. Now they will use lethal weapons, shoot wherever they find them,” .

Further allegations include the use of helicopters to monitor and potentially target protesters. One doctor in Dhaka claimed that patients were treated for unusual bullet wounds, suspected to have been inflicted from shots fired from the air.

The report also delves into the death of Abu Sayed, a student protester allegedly shot dead by police. Al Jazeera claims that the Prime Minister’s economics adviser tried to suppress Sayed’s postmortem report and that authorities pressured doctors to alter the report to conceal evidence of multiple bullet wounds.

These recordings may be presented as evidence before the ICT, which has already indicted Hasina and several other officials on charges of crimes against humanity.

An Awami League spokesperson dismissed the Al Jazeera report, claiming the recordings were “cherry-picked, doctored or both.”

The revelations raise serious questions about the actions of the former government and could significantly impact ongoing legal proceedings.

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