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 a student-led uprising that 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.
Approximately 1,400 individuals were reported killed during the weeks of protests leading up to her ousting, primarily due to gunfire from security forces, as per UN human rights investigators. Their report concluded that she and her government attempted to maintain power through systematic and lethal violence against demonstrators.
This marked the most significant bloodshed in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971. The protests unexpectedly ended Hasina’s more than 20-year rule.
Initially credited for overseeing significant economic progress in Bangladesh, Hasina faced accusations of evolving into an autocratic leader, suppressing any opposition to her rule.
Political arrests, disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other human rights abuses surged under her administration.
An Order to 'Use Lethal Weapons'
In January 2024, Hasina won an unprecedented fourth term as prime minister in an election widely condemned as a sham, leading to boycotts by the main opposition parties.
Protests erupted later that year, initially demanding the abolition of quotas in civil service jobs. By the summer, these escalated into a broader anti-government movement as she resorted to police violence against protesters.
Despite mounting calls to resign, Hasina remained resolute, labeling the dissenters as terrorists and initiating mass arrests, along with filing criminal charges against hundreds.
A leaked recording suggested she had instructed security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters, a claim she refuted, insisting she never ordered the firing on unarmed civilians. Some of the bloodiest confrontations occurred on 5 August, the day she fled by helicopter as violent crowds surged towards her residence in Dhaka.
The police reportedly killed at least 52 individuals that day, making it one of the worst incidents of police violence in Bangladesh's history.
Hasina, tried in absentia, dismissed the tribunal as a farce, accusing it of being orchestrated by her political rivals for a biased conviction.
It is a kangaroo court controlled by my political opponents to deliver a preordained guilty verdict... and to distract the world's attention from the chaos, violence, and misrule of [the new] government, she stated in an interview prior to her verdict.
She called for the ban on her party to be lifted before upcoming elections in February.
Not only is Hasina facing charges related to crimes against humanity regarding forced disappearances, but she and her former government officials are also on trial for alleged corruption, charges they deny.
How Did Sheikh Hasina Come to Power?
Born into a Muslim family in East Bengal in 1947, Hasina was steeped in politics from an early age. Her father was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a nationalist leader and Bangladesh's first president.
In 1975, her father, along with most family members, was assassinated during a military coup, with only Hasina and her sister surviving the attack as they were abroad.
Returning to Bangladesh in 1981 after a period of exile, she became the Awami League's leader and played a significant role in pro-democracy protests against military rule in the 1980s.
Hasina first assumed power in 1996 and earned recognition for significant agreements with India and peace initiatives in the southeast region. However, her governments were often criticized for corrupt practices and being overly compliant with Indian interests.
Despite a bitter rivalry with Begum Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a battle that resulted in increased violence and political instability, Hasina returned to power in 2009.
Despite facing numerous assassination attempts and legal challenges, her resilience marked her as a notable figure in Bangladeshi politics.
Achievements and Controversies
Beneath her leadership from 2009 onwards, Bangladesh shifted from being among the world's poorest nations to achieving remarkable economic success, with a tripling of per capita income.
More than 25 million citizens have reportedly escaped poverty in the last two decades, largely due to the country's garment industry which fuels most exports.
Her administration launched major infrastructure projects, including the notable $2.9 billion Padma Bridge across the Ganges.
However, Hasina's government faced significant backlash for its oppressive actions against political opponents, moving away from her initial pro-democracy stance.
Rights groups have documented at least 700 cases of enforced disappearances, alongside claims of thousands of extrajudicial killings since her second term began.
The US sanctioned the Rapid Action Battalion in 2021 for severe abuses, while journalists and activists have faced escalating harassment.
Post-pandemic challenges, rising inflation, and accusations of mismanagement overshadow her government's economic achievements as public dissent grows.
