DHAKA, Sept 22 – A forensic expert told Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) on Monday that the voice in a leaked audio recording ordering the use of lethal weapons during the July uprising matches that of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Inspector Rukunuzzaman of the CID Digital Forensic Lab testified that forensic analysis confirmed the female voice belonged to Sheikh Hasina, while the male voice matched Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, the former mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.
The audio, which was played in court, allegedly captures Hasina instructing Taposh to use state forces to suppress the protests. Parts of the same recording had earlier been reported by the BBC in August and widely circulated on social media since March.
The International Crimes Tribunal began cross-examination of the CID officer before adjourning for lunch.
According to investigators, the recordings were originally captured by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) and allegedly show Hasina directly authorizing force against demonstrators, raising serious questions about her role in the July crackdown that led to dozens of deaths.
The ICT-2 proceedings come amid renewed scrutiny of state actions during the protests, which ultimately led to a change in government last month.