A recorded phone conversation between ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was presented before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday, August 3, 2025. During the conversation, Sheikh Hasina is heard explicitly instructing the use of lethal weapons against protesters, directing that they be shot on sight wherever found.
In his opening statement, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam presented the phone conversation to the tribunal. The three-member ICT-1, led by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder, heard the statement, followed by testimony from one witness.
**Details of the Phone Conversation**
*Sheikh Hasina*: "No need for that, no need for that. I’m talking to the army chief; they’ll be ready, okay! Now we’re doing something else. We’re taking pictures with drones and helicopters in several places."
*Taposh*: "So, can’t we catch some of them tonight based on those pictures?"
*Sheikh Hasina*: "I’ve told them to arrest all of them at night."
*Taposh*: "Yes, arrest them, if we catch them…"
*Sheikh Hasina*: "That’s already been instructed. RAB, DGFI, NSI—everyone has been told to grab as many as they can from wherever they can."
*Taposh*: "Okay."
*Sheikh Hasina*: "It’s already been said. And wherever you see a gathering, from above… we’ve already started in a few places."
*Taposh*: "Okay."
*Sheikh Hasina*: "It’s done."
*Taposh*: "Yes, yes. It seems they’re heading toward Mohammadpur police station; the home minister told me."
*Sheikh Hasina*: "Toward Mohammadpur police station?"
*Taposh*: "Yes."
*Sheikh Hasina*: "Send RAB there."
*Taposh*: "Okay, then your instructions will be needed; he’s still…"
*Sheikh Hasina*: "My instructions have been given. I’ve given open instructions now. Use lethal weapons. Shoot them on sight wherever you find them."
The prosecution, represented by the Attorney General, has demanded the maximum punishment for Sheikh Hasina in connection with these directives.
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