(MENAFN) Leaked audio from a phone call suggests that a violent response to student-led demonstrations in Bangladesh last year was directly authorized by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The recording, which surfaced online in March, has reportedly been verified by investigative sources.

In the audio clip, Hasina is heard instructing her forces to "use lethal weapons" against the demonstrators, saying, "wherever they find [them], they will shoot."

This recording is expected to play a central role in the ongoing prosecution of Hasina, who is being tried in absentia by a special tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity. According to international investigators, the unrest led to as many as 1,400 deaths during the summer protests.

Hasina, who has since taken refuge in India, denies all allegations. Her political organization also refutes the claims, with a spokesperson insisting that the recording does not reflect any "unlawful intention" or "disproportionate response."

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