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 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, with most dying from gunfire from security forces, as reported by UN human rights investigators. Their report indicated that she and her government tried to cling to power using systematic, deadly violence.
The protests marked an unexpected end to the reign of Hasina, who had ruled Bangladesh for more than 20 years. She and her Awami League party were credited with overseeing significant economic progress in the country. However, in recent years, she faced accusations of becoming increasingly autocratic, suppressing opposition.
Politically-motivated arrests, disappearances, extra-judicial killings, and other abuses surged under her leadership.
An order to 'use lethal weapons'
In January 2024, Hasina won an unprecedented fourth term as prime minister in an election widely criticized as fraudulent and boycotted by the main opposition. The protests began later that year, demanding the abolishment of quotas in civil service jobs, eventually morphing into a wider anti-government movement as she used the police to violently crack down on dissent.
Amid increasing calls for her resignation, Hasina remained defiant, condemning the agitators as terrorists and imprisoning hundreds. A leaked audio clip suggested she had ordered security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters, which she categorically denied.
Some of the bloodiest violence occurred on August 5, when at least 52 people were killed by police in a single day. Hasina fled by helicopter as crowds besieged her residence in Dhaka.
Following her trial in absentia, she condemned the tribunal as a farce controlled by her political opponents, asserting the verdict aimed to distract from the new government's misrule.
Additionally, she faces charges related to forced disappearances and has been accused of corruption in a separate case.
How did Sheikh Hasina come to power?
Born to a Muslim family in East Bengal in 1947, Hasina's political heritage is profound. Her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is revered as the Father of the Nation, a key figure in Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971.
She emerged as a student leader during her time at Dhaka University and became a symbol of the pro-democracy movement during the military rule of General Hussain Muhammed Ershad in the 1980s and early 1990s. Elected prime minister initially in 1996, Hasina faced multiple challenges and criticisms over accusations of corruption and subservience to India.
Following a tumultuous political rivalry with Begum Khaleda Zia, another dominant figure in Bangladeshi politics, Hasina returned to power in 2009 amidst significant political turmoil.
Under her leadership, Bangladesh transformed from one of the poorest nations to one achieving notable economic success, particularly through its garment industry, lifting millions out of poverty while continuing to face criticism for human rights abuses and political oppression.
