A leaked audio recording of a conversation involving Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reveals that she personally authorised the use of lethal weapons during the student-led protests in July last year.

According to the recording, verified by BBC Eye, Sheikh Hasina gave her security forces permission to “use deadly weapons” against protestors and instructed them to “shoot wherever they (members of those forces) find them (the protestors)”.

The leaked audio, presumably between Sheikh Hasina and an unidentified senior government official, is considered the strongest piece of evidence to date that she gave direct orders to fire on anti-government demonstrators.