Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed began her political career as a pro-democracy icon, but fled mass protests against her rule in August 2024 after 15 years in power.
Since then, Hasina has been in self-imposed exile in India, where she flew after being deposed by the student-led uprising which spiraled into nationwide unrest.
On 17 November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death after convicting her of crimes against humanity. It was found Hasina had ordered a deadly crackdown on protesters between 15 July and 5 August 2024, resulting in the deaths of up to 1,400 people. UN human rights investigators reported that Hasina and her government attempted to maintain power through systematic violence against the protesters.
The protests marked the end of Hasina's reign, a government praised for its role in the economic progress of Bangladesh but criticized for increasingly autocratic measures. Political repression, including arrests and extrajudicial killings, surged under her leadership.
An order to 'use lethal weapons'
In January 2024, Hasina secured an unprecedented fourth term amid a controversial election boycotted by the main opposition. As protests demanding the end of civil service quotas escalated into anti-government sentiment, Hasina's regime responded violently, with police brutality leading to hundreds of deaths.
A leaked audio recording allegedly features her instructing security forces to use lethal force against unarmed civilians, a claim she denies. Hasina fled by helicopter as violence peaked, leaving a legacy overshadowed by bloodshed.
Her government faced multiple accusations of human rights violations, including forced disappearances and judicial harassment against political opponents.
How did Sheikh Hasina come to power?
Born to a politically prominent family, Hasina's journey began under the shadow of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's founder. Initially celebrated as a pro-democracy champion during the 1990s, her subsequent periods in power saw allegations of corruption and repression against critics, resulting in a turbulent political climate marked by violence and rivalry with her main political adversary, Begum Khaleda Zia.
Achievements and controversies
Her governance has been marked by considerable economic growth, transforming Bangladesh into a nation with a surging garment industry and infrastructure projects like the $2.9 billion Padma bridge. Yet, critics argue that her administration’s success has come at the cost of suppression, with estimates of around 700 enforced disappearances.
