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 fled 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 that Hasina had ordered a deadly crackdown on protesters between 15 July and 5 August 2024. She denied all charges against her.
Up to 1,400 people were killed during the weeks of protests leading up to her ousting, most by gunfire from security forces. Their report found that she and her government had tried to cling to power using systematic, deadly violence against protesters.
The protests brought an unexpected end to Hasina's reign, who had ruled Bangladesh for more than 20 years. Despite her administration being credited with overseeing significant economic progress, she faced accusations of autocratic rule and oppression of dissent.
Critics pointed to politically motivated arrests, disappearances, extra-judicial killings, and other abuses that surged during her time in power.
An order to 'use lethal weapons'
In January 2024, Hasina won an unprecedented fourth term as prime minister in an election widely decried as a sham and boycotted by the main opposition. Protest demands escalated throughout the year, prompting her government to respond with violent crackdowns.
Amid increasing calls for her resignation, Hasina described protestors as 'terrorists' and initiated mass arrests. A leaked audio clip suggested she had ordered security forces to 'use lethal weapons' against protesters, which she denied.
Some of the bloodiest violence occurred on 5 August, the day Hasina fled by helicopter as crowds stormed her residence in Dhaka. During that day, police killed at least 52 people in one of the worst instances of police violence in the country's history.
Hasina, tried in absentia, described the tribunal as a 'farce' orchestrated by her political rivals. She called for the ban on her party to be lifted ahead of the elections scheduled for February.
Born into a politically influential family, Hasina became a prominent political figure, eventually leading the Awami League and becoming a symbol of the pro-democracy movement in the late 20th century. She was first elected in 1996 and returned to power in 2009 amid accusations of corruption and political persecution.
Despite remarkable economic growth under her leadership, which tripled per capita income and lifted millions out of poverty, concerns remain about her government's repressive actions against dissent.
The situation in Bangladesh continues to evolve as the country reflects on Hasina's tumultuous rule, now punctuated by her recent ousting and ongoing human rights issues.
