Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League has strongly condemned a BBC report alleging that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the use of lethal force against protesters. The party called the report “false, distorted, and malicious,” and claimed the audio clip cited in the investigation was AI-generated.

The BBC’s 35-minute investigative broadcast featured an 18-second audio clip that allegedly captured Hasina giving orders to crack down on demonstrators. The Awami League said the clip lacks authenticity and has no verifiable recipient, arguing that if it were real, such details would exist.

“This so-called clip was artificially created using AI to defame Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in collusion with political opponents,” the party stated. It also questioned the credibility of forensic experts consulted by the BBC, pointing out they could not confirm the clip’s authenticity with certainty.

The party criticized the BBC for failing to present Hasina’s version or context and accused the outlet of relying on sources known to support the “illegitimate, fascist regime” of Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Referring to the violent July–August 2024 protests, the Awami League said extremist groups infiltrated student demonstrations to plan attacks on infrastructure, jailbreaks, and assassinations. “These events prove the state was under threat, a fact ignored by the BBC report,” the statement added.

The party further cited a BBC Bangla video where a Hizb ut-Tahrir leader admitted to joining the protests disguised as a student, supporting Hasina’s earlier claims.

Calling the report biased and misleading, the Awami League said it violates journalistic standards and was crafted to serve hostile political agendas.