The Tumultuous Reign of Sheikh Hasina: A Declining Democrat's Exit

Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh after mass protests, has been a key political figure following her father's assassination. Celebrating her fifth term in January, her rule was marked by autocratic policies and suppression of opposition. Despite economic growth, her legacy includes significant controversies and human rights criticisms.

Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh's prime minister and fled the country on Monday following weeks of protests. Since the assassination of her father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, nearly a half-century ago, Hasina has been a dominant political figure.

Her flight comes just seven months after celebrating a fourth consecutive term in power—her fifth term overall—following a landslide victory in national elections. The 76-year-old leader was airlifted to India with her sister by a military helicopter, media reports indicated.

Hasina's last 15 years in power were marked by arrests of opposition leaders, crackdowns on free speech, and suppression of dissent. She resigned amid deadly student-led protests that have claimed hundreds of lives since June, when the movement began over demands to abolish a controversial quota system in government jobs and escalated to seeking her resignation.